A SHOPKEEPER who had thousands of illegal cigarettes hidden behind a mirror and under a bed upstairs in his town centre shop has lost his licence.

Trading standards officers applied for the Torquay shop’s alcohol licence to be revoked, citing a list of incidents dating back to 2022.

But shopkeeper Ari Salah said a former tenant living in the flat – a current member of the shop’s staff – was responsible for the bulk of the illegal cigarettes.

In a report to a meeting of Torbay Council’s licensing committee, trading standards officers said Mr Salah’s property in Market Street, which includes the Zakopane shop, had been used to store illegal tobacco and vaping products despite a number of warnings.

It also said alcohol was sold to a child during an under-age sales test in January.

Mr Salah said he was ‘very remorseful’ over the under-age alcohol sale, and said he could not check what was going on in the flat upstairs every day.

But trading standards argued that he was not a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold the licence.

Trading standards said there had been ‘various intelligence’ since 2022 regarding the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes as well as under-age sales at Zakopane.

In August 2023 officers seized illegal tobacco from an office area and illegal vapes from behind the counter. In total 1,120 cigarettes were seized including counterfeit products, non-duty paid and non-regular brands manufactured for black market sale.

Mr Salah said the 56 packs of three different brands were for his own consumption, and at the time he was a heavy smoker.

More than 900 illegal vapes were also seized, none of which was legal for sale on the UK Market.

Mr Salah said he had bought them from a cash-and-carry in London, and did not know they were illegal.

In October 2023 another 170 illegal vapes were seized. The shop received warning and advice letters in October and December 2023.

Mr Salah said there had been no illegal cigarettes or vapes in the shop from that date onwards.

In January 2024 there were more reports of illegal tobacco, one of which said shop staff would repeat orders for illegal tobacco over a radio or mobile phone and the required products would be brought down from the flat upstairs.

On behalf of Mr Salah, licensing law specialist Christopher Rees-Gay argued that there was no evidence for that ‘fanciful’ claim.

In January 2025 a child volunteer was able to buy alcohol at Zakopane without being challenged. Police issued a warning letter and gave verbal advice.

Trading standards officers were also able to buy illegal tobacco products from the shop.

The issues came to a head in March when trading standards officers and police with a detection dog carried out an ‘enforcement visit’.

According to the report ‘a substantial quantity’ of illegal tobacco was discovered in a flat upstairs hidden behind a mirror and under a bed.

Officers found almost 5,000 illegal cigarettes and 228 pouches of tobacco including brands manufactured for black market sale. Five illegal vapes were also seized.

Mr Rees-Gay said Mr Salah had not been aware that his tenant had the items in the flat.

And, he added: “There is no evidence that illegal cigarettes and vapes were sold in the shop. There is intelligence to suggest that, but no evidence.”

Trading standards officer Melanie Walker said the training Mr Salah had given to his staff had been ‘too little, too late’.