'Money-motivated' off-licence boss tried to hide stash of illegal cigarettes during police raid
03.03.2022 - 11:27
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A ‘money-motivated’ off-licence owner tried to hide a stash of illegal cigarettes and vapes in his car as police and trading standards officers raided his shop.
Drinks Allowed - known as Go Local - in Edgeley, Stockport, could now effectively be shut down at a hearing to review its premises licence next week.
It comes after cops and licensing chiefs visited the Castle Street store last August as part of national illicit tobacco disruption initiative Operation CeCe.
READ MORE : Off-licence refused longer hours after hearing told it had shown 'clear disregard' for community
The shop, owned and run by Akshay Singh Ahuja, had previously been caught selling booze to a 19-year-old test-purchaser without checking ID.
It has also been subject to a catalogue of complaints about under-age alcohol sales, ‘fake tobacco’ and vodka that ‘tastes like anti-freeze’.
A report to a council sub-committee outlines how officials did not initially discover any illicit items during a visit to the shop on August 25, 2021.
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However, the ‘young male’ left in charge of the store was not authorised or trained to sell alcohol.
But once the team had moved on, GMP received reports that a man was putting tobacco into a car at the back of the premises.
“The team diverted to the vehicle at the