West Midlands Police are strongly opposing plans to allow a West Bromwich shop, previously branded a 'hive of illegal activity', to reopen its doors. The force has urged councillors to reject a fresh licence application for the premises, which was shut down by a court order last year.
A History of Persistent Illegal Sales
Sklep Europa on Carters Green, West Bromwich, was forced to close in July 2025 after a successful application by police to Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court. The closure order followed a lengthy history of illegal trading, where the shop was caught selling prohibited items on multiple occasions.
Between April 2024 and July 2025, trading standards officers and police conducted five separate inspections of the store. On every single visit, they discovered large quantities of illegal vapes and illicit tobacco. During one inspection, counterfeit toys were also seized.
"Despite continuous seizures, the shop finds new ways to trade in illicit items, conceal items in new places and change the layout of the shop," stated police in their objection. They described the location as having been "a continuous hive of illegal activity on a clearly organised scale."
Further Offences and Undercover Operation
The shop's illicit activities extended beyond the sale of contraband goods. Authorities also discovered that the business had been abstracting electricity, leading to its power supply being disconnected. Remarkably, the shop reopened the very next day with the electricity supply reconnected.
Furthermore, in October 2023, the shop failed a test purchase operation. An undercover 16-year-old working with trading standards was able to buy an illegal vape from the premises, highlighting a blatant disregard for age-restricted sales laws.
The police objection detailed that the forced closure was the direct result of the "continued sale of illegal items including tobacco, vapes, prescription only medication and foreign medication."
Concerns Over New Licence Application
Six months after the court-ordered closure, an application for a new premises licence has been submitted to Sandwell Council by Faruq Fariq Mahmood. West Midlands Police and Sandwell's trading standards team have both filed formal objections.
Police have raised serious concerns about the applicant's connections, stating Mr Mahmood "was connected to other businesses caught selling illicit tobacco and other illegal items." Trading standards echoed this, declaring they do not believe he could be considered a "fit and proper person" to hold a licence due to these links.
Authorities suspect the new application is merely a tactic to resume trading under a different name. "It leads West Midlands Police to believe this is simply an attempt to put a new name forward and get the shop back licensed," their objection concluded.
Sandwell Council’s licensing committee is set to meet on January 9, 2026, to make a final decision on the application. Both police and trading standards are recommending the panel reject the bid, citing the establishment's consistent history of flouting the law and undermining licensing objectives.
