A shopkeeper has been fined and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work after he admitted selling alcohol to a child and stocking fake cigarettes and oversized vapes.
Alan Brosk, 37, of Poplar Avenue, Hangleton, also admitted selling counterfeit Golden Virginia tobacco as well as fake Richmond and Benson and Hedges cigarettes.
Brosk, the sole director of K&K Station Store, in Station Parade, South Street, Lancing, was sentenced to a community order – 240 hours over 12 months – at Worthing Magistrates’ Court.
West Sussex County Council said: “A Lancing shopkeeper has received a 12-month community order to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, after he pleaded guilty to a series of alcohol and tobacco offences.”
The council, which brought the case, said that Brosk represented himself in court on Thursday 16 May and admitted a series of alcohol and tobacco offences.
The council said: “He faced various charges of selling alcohol to a child and selling counterfeit and illicit tobacco products and oversize vapes.
“Mr Brosk was also ordered to pay fines totalling almost £5,000, a victim surcharge of £114, and all the prosecution costs of £3,060.
The council’s cabinet member for community support, Duncan Crow, said: “This outcome sends a clear message that we can and will take action to address businesses selling alcohol to children or selling illegal vapes and fake tobacco.
“I hope this will act as a deterrent to other businesses in West Sussex who continue to sell alcohol and vapes to children.”
Brosk’s alcohol licence was previously revoked in February last year by Adur District Council’s Licencing Sub-Committee.
All the illicit tobacco and vapes seized were ordered to be destroyed.
The council said: “This prosecution follows a series of inspections earlier this month in Worthing, Shoreham and Lancing as part of a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HMRC called Operation Ce Ce.
“The inspections involved West Sussex Trading Standards working with Sussex Police, immigration officers, tobacco detection dogs and trading standards regional tobacco experts.
“The team visited six premises and over 24,000 sticks of suspected illegal tobacco, 95 packets of suspected illicit hand rolling tobacco, 561 illegal e-cigarettes, over 80 non-compliant nicotine pods and 18 Apple branded products suspected to be counterfeit were seized.
“Trading standards officers in West Sussex are taking action locally as part of a broader strategy that tackles three ‘tiers’ of criminality, with illegal factories abroad being shut down by HMRC and Border Force intercepting smuggled products and cash at the UK border.
“In the last financial year nearly £12 million (£11,983,479) of illegal tobacco products have been seized nationally by trading standards under Operation Ce Ce.
“Anyone concerned about illegal sales or counterfeit goods can make a report to Trading Standards online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/TradingStandards.”
