Black Country shop caught selling dangerous fake vodka
A shopkeeper in Halesowen was caught selling dangerous fake vodka which could have made customers 'seriously ill'.
Dudley Council trading standards officers made the discovery during a visit to Costcutter on Two Gates Lane.
They found three bottles of counterfeit Glens vodka in the shop and another 52 bottles in a basement storeroom.
The vodka was seized by officers and sent away for analysis. It was later confirmed to be counterfeit Glens vodka but consistent with being derived from industrial alcohol.
Faheem Bader, the son of the designated premises supervisor, appeared at Dudley Magistrates' Court.
He admitted buying the fake vodka from a man in a white van for £8 a bottle and failing to pay due tax revenue on the haul.
He pleaded guilty to offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994, through supplying the fake vodka which could have had a serious threat to public health.
He was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and was ordered to pay £1,500 towards costs and a victim surcharge of £80.
Following the discovery in September 2013, the premises alcohol licence was reviewed in January 2014 and the designated premises supervisor was removed by Dudley Council's licensing committee.
The shop is still open and run by the same family but a different family member is now the designated premises supervisor.
Councillor Rachel Harris, the authority's cabinet member for health, said today: "This vodka could have made people seriously ill, which was thankfully avoided by the intervention of our trading standards officers.
"Alcohol licence holders and their staff must be fully aware of the need to only purchase from bona fide suppliers where the alcohol has a full traceable history.
"We will not hesitate to take enforcement action including seizure, prosecution and reviewing and ultimately removing premises licences to protect consumers where public health has been put at risk.
In April, during a separate investigation, thousands of contraband cigarettes and suspected counterfeit first class stamps were seized during raids in Dudley.
Four properties in the town were searched by trading standards officers and police following a tip off about the illegal supply of tobacco.
A total of 5,340 illicit and counterfeit cigarettes, 25 packs of tobacco and 1,873 suspected counterfeit first class stamps were seized.
An investigation has been launched by Dudley Council following the raids.
