A city shop which sold vapes to schoolchildren has been ordered to pay more than £100,000 following investigations by City of Wolverhampton Council.

The owner of Honey Mini Market, trading as Warstones Mini Market, has also been given a 12-month community order after hundreds of oversized vapes, more than 13,000 illicit cigarettes and illicit tobacco products were found hidden behind a wall and in a loft space.

At a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court on August 27, owner and director Shabez Salehi attended on behalf of the company and himself. Both pleaded guilty to a string of charges.

In total, the company was fined £96,000, with costs of £2,540 and a victim surcharge of £2,000, making a total of £100,540.05. Salehi was given a 12-month community order with a 200 hours unpaid work requirement. He was also ordered to pay costs of £2,540 and a victim surcharge of £114, giving a total of £2,654.05.

Both the company and Salehi pleaded guilty to three charges under Tobacco and Related Products Regulations, two charges under the Children and Families Act, five charges under the Trade Marks Act and one charge under each of the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act, Companies Act and Proceeds of Crime Act. The company also admitted one further charge under the Children and Families Act.

Trading Standards officers at the council were initially contacted by a parent who was concerned that teenage schoolchildren were being sold vapes from the shop on Warstones Road. Officers organised an authorised underage sales test purchase in August 2024 and a 16-year-old volunteer was sold an oversized vape.

It is illegal to sell vapes or e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. In addition, the vape sold was not permitted to be on sale in the UK as it did not meet required specifications.

Since June 1 2025, sales of disposable vapes have been banned across the UK.

A covert officer who accompanied the child volunteer was also sold an illicit pack of cigarettes.

As a result of the sales, Trading Standards then inspected the store with specially trained detection dog Cooper from B.W.Y Canine Ltd and discovered 13,920 illicit cigarettes,1.95 kg of illicit hand rolling tobacco, 200g of shisha and 275 oversized or non-compliant vapes.

Most of the cigarettes were concealed behind a wall in a washroom near to the counter. Single packets of illicit cigarettes stacked according to brand were found in a bespoke sliding shelving unit located behind a false plasterboard wall.

Access to the packets of cigarettes was gained by removing a double electrical socket face plate which was not wired in or secured. Further packets of illicit cigarettes and pouches of illicit hand rolling tobacco were also found in the loft space above the washroom, accessed by a sliding hatch.

In addition, a box containing packets of illicit cigarettes and pouches of illicit hand rolling tobacco was found on the floor in the storage area behind the counter. Most of the illicit/non-compliant vapes found at the premises were located on shelving behind the counter.

When contacted by officers, Salehi said the underage sale was made by the shop’s landlord. However, the landlord denied responsibility for the shop and said he was helping out in an emergency.

Salehi also claimed that the illicit and non-compliant products found at the premises were being stored for someone else. However, no evidence was provided to prove this.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for resident services, said: “This was a dreadful case where a city shop owner not only concealed hundreds of illicit products, but also sold them to local schoolchildren.

“This prosecution is the latest successful step in our ongoing efforts to protect our young people and disrupt the supply of illicit tobacco in the city.

“The sale of illicit vapes and tobacco poses a serious risk to health – they are unregulated, contain excessive and dangerous chemicals, and encourage underage use, potentially leading to addiction. 

“Such sales also harm legitimate local businesses who face unfair competition from the unscrupulous retailers. This case is a great result for our Trading Standards team who work extremely hard to crack down on any business selling and supplying illicit and dangerous products.”

Dudley Magistrates made a forfeiture and destruction order against the items seized. The cigarettes and tobacco will now be handed over to a recycling scheme by Trading Standards officers to be dealt with in an environmentally friendly way.

Anyone who thinks they may have been sold illegal goods or suspect someone is selling them, is asked to email trading.standards@wolverhampton.gov.uk or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk