Sussex shopkeeper sold alcohol to child; 'illicit tobacco and vapes seized'

Alan Brosk, 37, from Hove, received a 12-month community order to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, after he ‘pleaded guilty to a series of alcohol and tobacco offences’, according to West Sussex County Council (WSCC).

A WSCC spokesperson said: “Brosk appeared before Worthing Magistrates on May 16 on behalf of himself and as the sole director representing K & K Station Store, 8 Station Parade, South Street, Lancing, BN15 8AA.

"He faced various charges of selling alcohol to a child and selling counterfeit and illicit tobacco products and oversize vapes.

“Brosk was also ordered to pay fines totalling almost £5,000, a victim surcharge of £114, and all the prosecution costs of £3,060.”

Duncan Crow, cabinet member for community support, said he hopes this will ‘act as a deterrent to other businesses’ in West Sussex which ‘continues to sell alcohol and vapes to children’.

He added: “This outcome sends a clear message that we can and will take action to address businesses selling alcohol to children, or selling illegal vapes and fake tobacco.”

The council said Brosk’s alcohol licence was previously revoked on February 28, 2023 by Adur District Council’s Licencing Sub-Committee.

All the illicit tobacco and vapes seized were ordered to be destroyed, the council said.

A spokesperson added: “This prosecution follows a series of inspections earlier this month in Worthing, Shoreham, and Lancing as part of a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HMRC called ‘Operation Ce Ce’.

“The inspections involved West Sussex Trading Standards working with Sussex Police, Immigration Officers, tobacco detection dogs and Trading Standards regional tobacco experts.

“The team visited six premises and over 24,000 sticks of suspected illegal tobacco, 95 packets of suspected illicit hand rolling tobacco, 561 illegal e-cigarettes, over 80 non-compliant nicotine pods and 18 Apple branded products suspected to be counterfeit were seized.”

The council said Trading Standards officers in West Sussex are taking action locally as part of a ‘broader strategy’ that tackles three ‘tiers’ of criminality – with illegal factories abroad being shut down by HMRC, and Border Force intercepting smuggled products and cash at the UK border.

In the last financial year, nearly £12 million (£11,983,479) of illegal tobacco products have been seized nationally by Trading Standards under Operation Ce Ce, the council said.

Anyone concerned about illegal sales or counterfeit goods can make a report to Trading Standards online at www.westsussex.gov.uk/TradingStandards