Oldbury shop applies for a new licence after illegal goods found
A shop stripped of its licence after illegal alcohol, vapes and prescription-only medicine were found during an inspection has applied for a new licence.
A total of 119 counterfeit bottles of vodka, whiskey and Jagermeister were found at Best-One Goshal General Store in Tividale, Oldbury, during an inspection in February.
The licence was revoked by Sandwell Council in September after the hearing heard how oversized vapes and prescription-only Viagra were also on sale when the Tower Road shop was searched by trading standards officers.
The licence had been transferred to Lakeethan Vaneswaran in April before the shop was served with the council notice over the illegal goods found during February’s inspection.
The application by Sivananthan Thatparanantham from TSA Retail Ltd includes proposed opening hours of 7am to 11pm, selling alcohol from 8am, from Monday to Saturday and 9am to 10.30pm on Sundays.
West Midlands Police said there was evidence linking the applicant to counterfeit alcohol sales at a shop in Walsall and called for the application to be rejected.
The force said in an objection: “Given the history of the premises subject of this application, the lack of transparency throughout the review process by the premises licence holder, it is concerning we now have a further application for a premises licence from a friend of [redacted] and from someone who themselves has previously been cautioned with regards to selling counterfeit alcohol.”
Sandwell’s trading standards said in an objection: “Considering the establishment’s history, which demonstrates a consistent disregard for the licensing objectives and the law, our recommendation is for the panel to reject this application for a premises license.”
The council’s decision has been appealed with a hearing set to take place with magistrates in January.
Oversized vapes and prescription-only Viagra were also on sale when the Tower Road shop was searched by Sandwell’s trading standards officers following a complaint in February this year.
As many as 76 oversized vapes, including vapes for the US market which were 12 times the permitted capacity, were seized by trading standards officers as well as more than 60 counterfeit bottles of vodka that had not paid UK duty, 40 bottles of whiskey and 17 bottles of Jagermeister all with false labels and no VAT.
Trading standards also found 42 sachets of prescription-only oral jelly Viagra that did not have UK labels.
Sandwell’s trading standards officers said the shop was ‘undermining the objective of preventing crime and disorder.’
West Midlands Police said it was “deeply concerned” by what was found during the inspection and called for the committee to revoke the licence.
