A Cardiff convenience store has been ordered to pay more than £20,000 after it was caught selling illegal vapes and tobacco products. The prosecution followed a series of investigations by Shared Regulatory Services (SRS).
Details of the Offences
Aydin Ltd, trading as Mini Mart Store on Countisbury Avenue in Llanrumney, along with its director Rostam Ahmed, pleaded guilty to 16 offences related to the sale of illegal products. Investigations revealed that the store sold vapes with tank sizes exceeding legal limits, as well as counterfeit and incorrectly labelled tobacco goods.
At a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on July 3, the company was fined £16,000 and ordered to pay £4,600 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. Director Rostam Ahmed received a 12-month community order, including a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement, and was fined £500 plus £100 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge. All seized products were forfeited by the court and will be destroyed.
Previous Enforcement Action
The Mini Mart had previously been subject to a closure order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 due to the scale and seriousness of its offending.
Councillor Ed Stubbs, cabinet member responsible for shared regulatory services, said: “The sale of illegal tobacco and vapes is of great concern. It impacts the health of residents in Cardiff and damages the wider economy. Legitimate businesses are affected as customers buy illegal products instead, and the availability of these products removes incentives for people to quit smoking. Robust action will be taken by Trading Standards against businesses that continually flout the law, and it is encouraging to see that the court’s sentencing reflects the seriousness of this illegal activity.”
