A British store was fined nearly 5,000 pounds for selling excessive e-cigarettes involving the e-cigarette brand LOST MARY

A British store was fined nearly 5,000 pounds for selling excessive e-cigarettes involving the e-cigarette brand "LOST MARY"

The Royal Borough Trading Standards Agency has filed a lawsuit against Tamanpreet Singh and his company for selling illegal e-cigarettes. The charges involved product requirements and product labeling, and the e-cigarette brand "LOST MARY" was among the products seized. The court sentenced him to pay a total of £4,727 in fines and costs, and ordered it to be confiscated and destroyed.

 

According to Rbwm.Gov on August 1, in a case investigated and prosecuted by the Royal Borough Trading Standards Agency, a company director and his store were fined a total of £4,727 by the court for selling illegal e-cigarettes. The products sold by the store involved the e-cigarette brand "LOST MARY".

The case originated from the Royal Borough Trading Standards Agency on July 31, 2023, when it seized 170 e-cigarettes with a retail value of approximately £1,500 at Top Shop & Off Licence (operated by Baweja & Brother Limited) on St. Leonards Road, Windsor. The owner of the store is 22-year-old Tamanpreet Singh.

 

On July 19, 2024, Singh pleaded guilty to two charges against himself and his company at Reading Magistrates' Court.

 

The charges involved product requirements and product labeling. The seized e-cigarette products were deemed illegal because they contained nicotine oil in excess of the legal limit. The maximum permitted capacity of a disposable e-cigarette is 2 ml, while these e-cigarettes were 10 ml and 14 ml respectively. Among the seized products was the e-cigarette brand "LOST MARY".

 

In addition, the health warning labels of these e-cigarettes did not comply with regulations and did not meet the required level of prominence.

The charges were directed at his company and Singh himself because he was directly responsible for these violations and he had received advice and warnings from the Trading Standards Bureau on several occasions.

 

Singh was required to pay a total fine of £984, a victim surcharge of £394 and Royal Borough costs of £742.

 

Baweja & Brother Limited was required to pay a total fine of £1,332, a victim surcharge of £533 and Royal Borough costs of £742.

 

The total fine and costs amounted to £4,727, and the court also ordered the e-cigarettes to be confiscated and destroyed.

 

Richard Coe, Cabinet Member for Homes and Regulatory Services, said,

 

"I would like to thank the Trading Standards team for their hard work in bringing this prosecution to a successful conclusion. Combating illegal and dangerous e-cigarette products is vital to protecting residents from dangerous or toxic products."

 

"The work of Trading Standards is also aimed at stopping unfair trading practices and protecting those businesses that consistently comply with regulations. This prosecution should serve as a warning to other shops in the area that there will be consequences if they do not comply with the law."