Two retailers sentenced after St Helens Trading Standards seize illegal cigarettes and vapes

Article date: 23 March 2026

Park Road Convenience Store Ltd, trading as Park Road Convenience on Park Road, St Helens, pleaded guilty to offences relating to the possession of nearly 700 packets of illegal cigarettes and vaping products, seized during a Trading Standards operation last year.

Company director Dishad Mohammed received:

• a 12‑month community order,
• 140 hours of unpaid work,
• a £114 victim surcharge, and
• £2,000 contribution to costs.

In a separate case, Sivaranjan Mehandiran, proprietor of Sids Mart, Church Road, Haydock, also pleaded guilty after Trading Standards officers seized 224 illegal single‑use e‑cigarettes during an inspection last year.

Mr Mehandiran was ordered to pay:

• a £3,330 fine,
• a £1,333 victim surcharge, and
• £2,500 in costs, payable within 30 days.

E‑cigarette products must be correctly labelled with safety information and comply with strict limits on nicotine content. Traditional cigarettes must be genuine and manufactured by legitimate producers. Illegal tobacco and vape products evade these requirements, posing health risks to consumers and undermining responsible businesses.

Councillor Trisha Long, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said:

"These prosecutions send a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal tobacco or vaping products being sold in our borough. Retailers who place profit above public safety undermine the law and put our residents at risk. Our Trading Standards officers work tirelessly to protect the public and support honest businesses, and these outcomes show that illegal practices will be challenged and dealt with robustly."

Anyone with information about a retailer selling illegal vapes or cigarettes is encouraged to report their concerns through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/