A Wolverhampton convenience store has been ordered to pay over £50,000 after a major investigation uncovered a stash of illegal tobacco and vapes, including products sold to an underage buyer.
Undercover Operation Uncovers Illegal Sales
The case against One Stop Wolverhampton Ltd on Stafford Street began in August last year. An underage test purchaser successfully bought an illicit vape from the premises. Later the same day, an undercover council officer was sold a pack of illicit cigarettes.
These test purchases, conducted as part of the national Operation CeCe and Operation Joseph initiatives, prompted a full-scale raid. Trading Standards officers, accompanied by police and a specialist tobacco detection dog, visited the store two days later.
Hidden Stash Found in Basement Bed
The search revealed a significant haul of illegal products. While some illicit cigarettes and vapes were discovered in the shop's counter area, a far larger cache was found concealed elsewhere.
Further illicit cigarettes were found hidden under a bed in the basement of the property. In total, authorities seized 228 illicit vapes and 3,089 illicit cigarettes from the shop.
Substantial Fines and Court Consequences
Following a trial at Black Country Magistrates' Court last month, District Judge Wheeler found the company guilty of ten charges. The sole director of the business, Rashid Hussain, was found guilty of nine separate charges.
The offences fell under the Children and Families Act, the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. On 17 December, the court handed down significant penalties.
One Stop Wolverhampton and Rashid Hussain were each fined £20,000. They were also each ordered to pay £4,000 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. This brings the total financial penalty to £52,000.
Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for resident services, stated the authority is determined to protect young people and break the supply of illicit goods. "The sale of these goods threatens the health of our residents as they do not follow UK regulations," she said.
Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, highlighted the wider success of Operation CeCe, which has removed 69 million illegal cigarettes and 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco from sale across the UK.
