The illegal products, with an estimated street value of £38,000, were found during a raid last year at a storage unit in Norbury.
Sylwester Krauze pleaded guilty to nine offences and was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, along with 120 hours of unpaid work.
The seized cigarettes (Image: Croydon Council)
He was also ordered to pay the council’s full costs of £6,139.55 and a victim surcharge of £154.
The retail value of compliant products would have been £106,000.
Jason Perry, executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “Thank you once again to our award-winning trading standards team for finding illegal tobacco and for the successful prosecution.
“Illegal cigarettes are dangerous as they do not have the correct health warnings and users do not know what’s in them.
“They also fund organised criminal gangs which bring misery to many.
“To make the borough cleaner, safer and healthier, we will continue our proactive raids to stop this criminal activity happening in our borough.”
Croydon Council said it remains committed to tackling the sale of illicit tobacco, warning that these products can pose serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers.
The seized tobacco did not carry the required health warnings and was found to be counterfeit or otherwise non-compliant.
Members of the public with information about the sale of illegal tobacco in Croydon are encouraged to contact the council through its website.
