Shop forced to close for selling illegal tobacco and laughing gas

A shop is being closed down for selling drugs and other dangerous illegal products.

Kermashan Mini Market on Clifton Street will be closed down for a minimum of three months after being served a closure order by Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 21.

Shared Regulatory Services (SRS) took action on the shop after complaints were made about the sale of illegal tobacco and nitrous oxide cannisters.

It will be the first time Cardiff Council has used its enforcement powers in this way, according to the local authority.

Harm

A Spokesperson for SRS said: “Illegal tobacco does great harm in the community.

“Its cheapness and ease of supply are particularly attractive to young people and others on lower incomes, and it eliminates the price incentive for existing smokers to quit the habit’.

“I’m delighted to see this action being taken. Offenders need to know that they will face consequences if they choose to deal in these illegal products.”

Following the complaints made about the shop, Trading Standards opened an investigation and test purchases were made.

The results showed that the shop was selling counterfeit tobacco, illegal vapes, duty free cigarettes smuggled into the UK and Nitrous Oxide.

The cost of 50g of counterfeit Amber Leaf tobacco was being sold for as little as £5 when the average retail price is £40.

Prison

The closure order imposed by Cardiff Magistrates’ Court means that the shop must close with immediate effect and any trading for three months thereafter could result in the owner receiving three months in prison, a fine, or both.

Anyone with information relating to the sale of illegal tobacco is urged to report it, anonymously, at https://noifs-nobutts.co.uk/report-illegal-tobacco-in-wales

SRS is a regulatory body covering Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend County Borough.

It delivers a wide range of functions, predominantly in the areas of envrionment health, trading standards and licensing, with the aim of safeguarding public health and safety.