Credit;PA
A crooked shop owner who was caught with nearly 1,000 erectile dysfunction tablets has avoided a stiff sentence after being spared jail.
Karanveer Singh Dhaliwal was also caught with 10,000 illegal cigarettes when trading standards officers raided KS News in Bilston, West Mids., last September.
Wolverhampton Council said they took action following repeated complaints about the sale of illicit tobacco and unlicensed alcohol at the premises.
Council officers seized a total of 969 Sildenafil Citrate tablets, a pharmacy-controlled drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.
More than 10,000 counterfeit and foreign cigarettes were also found alongside 11 bottles of whisky for which duty had not been paid.
Despite not having a licence to sell booze, 97 bottles of wine, 225 litres of spirits, 570 litres of beer and more than 200 litres of cider were stored at the back of the shop
Dhaliwal, of Tipton, West Mids., was found guilty of four offences under the Trade Marks Act and six offences relating to UK health warnings.
He was also convicted of possession with intent to supply a pharmacy controlled drug at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
In a separate hearing former shop manager Ashok Singh Kumar, from Smethwick, West Mids., admitted four offences under the Trade Marks Act.
He also pleaded guilty to six further offences relating to UK health warnings for tobacco, cigarette packaging, unpaid duty and possession of criminal property.
Both men appeared before a judge on Wednesday (6/4) where they were sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.
A further hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act to consider confiscation proceedings will take place at a later date.
The court heard officers raided the store on September 24 last year to investigate a complaint of underage alcohol sales, which left a child requiring hospitalisation.
A closure order was granted by the courts the following month after an application by the council under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.
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.”
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