By demoduck.co.uk News Desk
Two Wigan Borough business owners have been convicted after Trading Standards officers uncovered hundreds of illegal vapes and illicit cigarette packs in separate investigations, including stock hidden in a vehicle and behind a mirror in a shop storeroom.
The cases led to fines, costs and unpaid work following hearings at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court in May 2026. Wigan Council said the enforcement action followed investigations by its Trading Standards team, working with partners through the borough’s Community Safety Partnership.
Illegal vapes found in a vehicle in Leigh
Trading Standards officers seized 358 illegal vapes from a vehicle belonging to Chaudhary Rahman during a multi-agency day of action in Leigh in December 2024.
According to the council, Mr Rahman, who owns several shops on Railway Road, was using the vehicle to store the illegal vapes and avoid detection.
His case was heard at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court on Thursday 14 May 2026. He was ordered to pay a total of £3,065, made up of a £1,500 fine, a £600 victim surcharge and £965 in associated costs.
The case matters locally because illegal vapes can bypass product safety controls, labelling rules and age-restricted retail standards. Trading Standards teams treat hidden or off-site storage as a serious concern because it can make unsafe products harder to trace once they reach customers.
Cigarettes hidden behind a mirror at Wallgate News
A separate investigation found 226 packs of illicit cigarettes at Wallgate News in Wigan town centre in May 2025.
Officers discovered the packs in a purpose-built concealment behind a mirror in a rear storeroom. The hidden compartment was cited by the council as evidence of the lengths some retailers may go to when trying to sell illegal goods while avoiding inspection.
Bestun Mohammedi was convicted for his role in the offences at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court on Friday 15 May 2026. He was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £1,686 in fines and associated costs.
The Wigan case follows wider enforcement activity against illegal tobacco and vape sales in other parts of England. A recent illegal tobacco enforcement case in Nottingham also involved court-backed action against shops accused of selling unlawful products.
Why Trading Standards targets hidden stock
Illicit tobacco and non-compliant vapes can undercut lawful retailers and create risks for customers who cannot rely on proper packaging, warnings, ingredient controls or product checks.
For local authorities, concealed stock also changes the nature of an investigation. Products hidden in vehicles, storerooms or purpose-built compartments may suggest planned evasion rather than poor record-keeping or accidental non-compliance.
Councillor Kevin Anderson, Wigan Council’s portfolio holder for Police, Crime and Civil Contingencies, said the cases showed how far some business owners would go to sell illicit products and avoid detection.
“These cases highlight the lengths that some business owners will go to in order to sell illicit products and avoid detection, and we will continue to investigate and clamp down on those who do not adhere to our high standards,” he said.
How residents can report suspected illegal sales
Wigan Council said its Trading Standards team acts on information passed on by partner agencies and members of the public, with enforcement action taken where businesses are found to be breaching the law.
Residents who suspect shops are selling illegal tobacco or vapes can contact Trading Standards in confidence by email at the published contact details or ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Source: Wigan Council
Source check Source trail
This report is based on Wigan Council’s account of Trading Standards investigations and court outcomes in May 2026.
- Checked the names of the individuals, locations and businesses against the source account.
- Separated the December 2024 vape seizure from the May 2025 cigarette seizure.
- Verified the reported court dates, penalties and unpaid work order from the council statem...
- Kept reporting routes limited to the contact details provided by the council.
- Source
- Wigan Council
- Scope
- Wigan Borough
- Updated
- 2026-05-29 12:35
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