Two shops fined after selling illegal tobacco and e-cigarettes to minors

Two shops in Tameside have been forced to pay fines by the court after being hit by a council sting.

Waz's off licence in Ambleside, Stalybridge and S Shop in Dukinfield were both visited in secret by Trading Standards team who undertook test purchases, Tameside Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (April 8). A test purchase is when Trading Standards hires an underage customer to visit a bar or shop and attempt to buy age-restricted items.

Syed Naqi Abbas Naqvi of Station Road, Hadfield, was representing the Waz's off licence alongside his employee Ali Khetab Iqbal of Kenyon Street, Ashton, in court. The pair both pleaded guilty to the sale of an e-cigarette to a person under the age of 18, the court heard.

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The shop was ordered to pay £1,300 for selling an e-cigarette to an underage person during an operation on August 7, 2023.

Magistrates fined the business £750 plus ordered it to pay £300 victim surcharge plus £250 costs. Mr Iqbal was fined £80 plus ordered to pay a £32 victim surcharge and £250 costs.

The court was told how the same Trading Standards operation saw officers carry out two test purchases at S Shop, King Street, Dukinfield, in 2021 and 2022, which found the business selling illegal tobacco on both occasions.

A later visit to the premises resulted in a seizure by trading standards officers of 257 packets of illegal cigarettes, the court heard. The haul resulted in seven charges being brought against Kambiz Esmailpour of King Street, Dukinfield, as the owner of the business.

The shop owner was ordered to pay over £1,000 after pleading guilty to four charges in relation to the sale and supply of illicit tobacco.

The court heard on April 8 that Mr Esmailpour pleaded guilty to four of the charges. In mitigation he said he was not at the shop at the time of the test purchases and was abroad when the cigarettes were seized.

Mr Esmailpour is no longer in the retail industry anymore. Tameside magistrates sentenced him to a £300 fine and ordered him to pay a £34 victim surcharge and £750 costs.

A Tameside Council spokesperson said: “E cigarettes should not be used by, or targeted at, children – due to the risk and unknown harms involved.

"Most businesses are responsible in who they sell these products to but we continue to be proactive in uncovering those that break the law and put young people at risk and we will always take enforcement action against them.

“Trade in illicit tobacco costs the country more than £2 billion in lost tax revenue each year. It also supports crime rings, damages legitimate businesses, undermines public health and facilitates the supply of tobacco to young people.

"Public protection is a priority for us and our officers will always take enforcement action where necessary to help keep our local communities safe as well as to support local business that comply with the law.”

According to Tameside Council, their Trading Standards team routinely carry out test purchasing exercises for illicit tobacco following intelligence and complaints received from members of the public.

Any positive test purchases are followed with a visit by Trading Standards Officers along with an officer and dog from Wagtails.

Wagtails provide tobacco detection dogs to assist us in finding illicit tobacco which is often concealed in premises.

The team also carry out test purchasing exercises for the underage sale of age restricted products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes and alcohol.

Waz's off licence has been contacted for comment but did not respond. S Shop has since closed and the shop is now trading as Dukinfield Mini Market under a new owner.