The owner of a Scarborough shop has been ordered to pay more than £3,300 in fines, costs and surcharges after admitting offences involving illegal cigarettes and vaping products.
Eastern European Mini Market Ltd and its director, Ersilia Loredana Oltean, both of Ramshill Road, Scarborough, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates' Court following an investigation by our trading standards officers.
The court heard that cigarettes sold by the business in October 2024 and March 2025 did not carry the required health warnings or standardised packaging.
Trading standards officers also found 142 vaping products on sale in November 2024 which exceeded the legal two millilitres limit for nicotine-containing liquid and were not correctly packaged or labelled.
The two-millilitre limit is intended to reduce the amount of nicotine users can inhale over time and is roughly equivalent to 600 puffs. The illegal vapes found on sale provided between 3,500 and 7,000 puffs. A 7,000-puff vape can deliver a similar nicotine intake to around 23 packets of 20 cigarettes.
Oltean was fined £800 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £320 and prosecution costs of £2,183, a total of £3,303.
The company was fined £100 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £40, bringing its total penalty to £140.
Executive member for managing our environment, Cllr Richard Foster, whose responsibilities include trading standards, said: “This successful prosecution sends a clear message that businesses selling illegal tobacco and non-compliant vaping products can expect robust enforcement action.
“The law requiring health warnings and standardised packaging for cigarettes, along with restrictions on the size and labelling of vaping products, is designed to protect consumers and support public health.
“The vapes found on sale in this case contained far more nicotine containing liquid than is legally permitted, while the cigarettes failed to meet legal packaging requirements.
“We know residents are concerned about the availability of illegal tobacco and vapes in their communities, and trading standards officers will continue to investigate reports and take action where offences are identified.”
Residents can report shops they suspect are selling illegal products or selling age restricted products to under-18s, via the national reporting centre at the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or via online chat or e-form.