Expats to face fine, jail term and deportation for trading in illegal tobacco

Muscat: Two expatriates were imprisoned and fined OMR 400, and they will be deported from the Sultanate of Oman  for trading in unauthorised commodities in Al Wusta Governorate, said the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA).

The Court of First Instance in Duqm issued a judicial ruling against two violators of Consumer Protection Law No. 66/2014 for trading in unauthorised commodities. The court convicted the two accused and sentenced them to imprisonment and deportation from the country.

The Consumer Protection Department in Haima received information about expatriate workers manufacturing and distributing non- smoking chewing tobacco in the Wilayat of Duqm. The Department has taken the legal procedures to ensure the validity of the information, and coordinated with the Public Prosecution to obtain permissions. After coordination with the Royal Oman Police (ROP), a large amount of non-smoking chewing tobacco that was being prepared was seized. The law enforcement officers also spotted other quantities ready for marketing and sale. The case file was referred to the competent judicial authorities, which issued its verdict against the violators.

 The Court ordered that the accused be punished with imprisonment of three months, for the second with imprisonment for one month, and for the third with a fine of OMR 200.

The Court also convicted the second accused of a misdemeanour of working in the Sultanate of Oman away from the sponsor, and a misdemeanour of changing the place of residence without informing the competent authorities of the new address within the legally specified period. The court ordered the accused to be punished for the first misdemeanour by one-month imprisonment, and for the second misdemeanour with OMR 200 fine. For the imprisonment sentence, the court sufficed with the period spent by the accused under custody. The Court also ordered his deportation from the country, and the confiscation of the seized goods.