The owner of a shop which repeatedly sold illegal vapes has been fined more than £6,000 following an investigation by Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards.
During an inspection of the One Stop Shop on Gloucester’s Southgate Street on 7 February, Trading Standards Officers found 1,005 vapes containing more than two millilitres of nicotine liquid. Hiwa Elyasi (22) of New Street, Gloucester, confirmed he was the owner of the business and was invited to attend an interview under caution.
Illegal vapes found in the back of Elyasi’s car (image credit: Gloucestershire Trading Standards)
Trading Standards Officers visited the shop again on 27 and 29 February and seized a further 174 illegal vapes. On 6 March, Elyasi’s car was stopped in close proximity to his shop and found to contain a further 384 illegal vapes.
Elyasi appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on 28 October, where he pleaded guilty to selling disposable vapes containing nicotine liquid above the legal limit of two millilitres. He was ordered to pay a total of £6,384, with £666 for the first offence and £1,066 for each of the subsequent three offences. He will also pay costs of £975 and a victim surcharge of £1,545.
Elyasi told the court that he was no longer the owner of the shop, having surrendered it following the seizure on 6 March. The prosecution was the first in the county for the sale of illegal vapes, and was brought due to what Gloucestershire Council described as ‘a long history of issues with the shop’.
Councillor Dave Norman, Cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Our officers continue to inspect shops to ensure that any nicotine inhaling products are legal.
“In this case Mr Elyasi continued to supply illegal items which left us no choice than to take formal action.”
