Wolverhampton Trading Standards, HMRC, the Home Office and West Midlands Police searched the store on Dudley Road in Blakenhall in July.

Hundreds of vapes and pills, beer with a volume equivalent to more than 8,000 pints, almost 300 liters of wine, 60 liters of spirits and ten tonnes of chewing tobacco without proof of tax were confiscated, according to municipal documents.

They said the search also uncovered banned tablets, labeled as herbal remedies, and “powerful stimulants” Multani Kaminividravana Rasa, which contain opioids such as codeine and morphine and other harmful substances and which have been linked to addiction cases in Australia and are not regulated in the country. UNITED KINGDOM.

Mr Singh had previously received a written warning after he was found to be selling illegal cigars and chewing tobacco during an inspection of his store in March 2020.

A trading standards officer was twice told the store “had to make money from somewhere” in a redacted report released by the council ahead of the licensing hearing.

Wolverhampton Trading Standards was again informed in 2022 that seven packs of cigarettes intended for sale outside the UK had been purchased from the store alongside a number of illicit vapes, the report said.

Two complaints were then filed last year that the store was selling illegal cigarettes and alcohol as well as vapes and high-strength tobacco to children, but an underage volunteer was denied the vape during ‘a subsequent operation by agents, the council said.

Wolverhampton City Council had accused Mr Singh of “putting the public at risk” and repeatedly ignoring the law.

The authority was told Mr Singh was unwell and his lawyers had not had sufficient time to prepare for the meeting with council officials, meaning the license review would be heard more late this month.