Vape seller prosecuted after Trading Standards investigation

A local vape seller has today been convicted of illegal sales and fined £900 in Inverness Sheriff Court. Adnan Abbas who operated the shop Wow Mobile in Lombard Street in Inverness city centre was subject to a court order that banned him from selling vapes to the public after he had been caught on multiple occasions selling to children.  Despite warnings from Highland Council Trading Standards officers that he must not sell vapes, he was found to be continuing to do so. Officers seized a large quantity of vapes from his shop and reported him to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.

David MacKenzie, Trading Standards Manager at Highland Council said: “Our aim is not to prosecute businesses but to help them comply with the law and treat their customers well.  But we will not hesitate to use the full force of the law on individuals who deliberately flout it.  Abbas’s repeated offending and disregard for public safety gave us no choice.”

The sale of vapes continues to be a major issue for Trading Standards, both in terms of providing advice to legitimate traders and tackling offenders who sell to children or sell illegal vape products.

David MacKenzie continued: “Most retailers in Highland want to do the right thing and we are here to help them do that and provide local consumers with the goods and services that they need in a fair and safe way.   At the same time, we won’t take any nonsense from the small minority who continue to break the law.  Their actions are detrimental to society and unfair to their reputable competitors.”