Shrewsbury shop fined for illegal vape and tobacco sales

A Shrewsbury shop, and its director, have been ordered to pay more than £8500 for the illegal sale of vapes and tobacco.

In Telford Magistrates Court on Monday 23 April [2026] Aso Mohammed pleaded guilty on behalf of himself and Kola Ltd (trading as Best One Store, St John’s Hill) for the sale and possession for sale of oversized vapes, vapes without regulated labelling and counterfeit tobacco.

The prosecution was brought by Shropshire Council following investigations by the council’s trading standards team. The offences took place on four separate occasions during targeted visits by officers over the course of 2025.

Kola Ltd (Best One Store) was ordered to pay fines of £3335, a victims surcharge of £1334 and costs of £1881. The total amount payable was £6550.

Mr Mohammed was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid community work, a victims surcharge of £114, and costs of £1881 – a total of £1995.

Bernie Bentick, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for health and public protection, said:

“The sale of these illicit vapes and tobacco undermines the legitimate market and poses a potential danger to users who may not be aware of the nicotine content or the ingredients of these products.

“We will not hesitate to take action against traders who ignore the law and we urge anyone who has concerns about illegal products to report them to us.”

Shropshire Council encourages individuals to contact the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline on 0808 2231133 if they have any suspicions that a business may be selling illicit tobacco/vape products. Information can be given anonymously and will always be treated in line with the council’s information governance policies.