Shop owner caught with nearly 1,000 erectile dysfunction tablets avoids jail

Karanveer Singh Dhaliwal, the shop owner and former premises license holder of KS News on Oxford Street in Bilston, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, after the illicit cigarettes and pharmacy-controlled tablets were found at his shop.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how KS News had a history of continuous complaints relating to the sale of illicit tobacco and unlicensed alcohol.

Between February 15, 2019, and September 24, 2021, Trading Standards officers from Wolverhampton Council seized more than 10,000 counterfeit, non-duty paid and foreign cigarettes from the store.

They also seized 969 Sildenafil Citrate tablets, a pharmacy-controlled drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. In addition, 11 bottles of whisky were found for which duty had not been paid.

Officers raided the store on September 24 last year to investigate a complaint of underage alcohol sales from the premises which left a child requiring hospitalisation.

During the visit they discovered 97 bottles of wine, 225 litres of spirits, 570 litres of beers and lager and more than 200 litres of cider in the back of the shop, despite the premises not having a licence to sell alcohol.

After a trial Dhaliwal, of Farmer Way, Tipton, was found guilty of four offences under the Trade Marks Act and 6 offences relating to UK health warnings for tobacco, cigarette packaging, unpaid duty and possession of criminal property.

He was also found guilty of possession with intent to supply a pharmacy controlled drug.

In a separate hearing former shop manager Ashok Singh Kumar, from Dibble Road, Smethwick, admitted four offences under the Trade Marks Act and 6 further offences relating to UK health warnings for tobacco, cigarette packaging, unpaid duty and possession of criminal property.

Both men appeared before a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Wednesday where they were sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

A timetable was also set for a further hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act to consider confiscation proceedings.

In November last year, a closure order was granted by the courts, following an application by the council under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The order was the maximum permitted by law and meant that nobody has been allowed to enter the premises during that time.

John Roseblade, director for housing and city environment at Wolverhampton Council, said: "I would like to recognise the hard work of our Trading Standards officers in achieving a successful outcome in this case.

"Sale of items such as those found in KS News is a serious crime that not only has significant financial implications, but also poses a real threat to public health.

"Offenders need to know that the council will not hesitate to take swift and immediate action to seize illicit goods and protect the public from dangerous products."