A corner shop in Bristol faces a three-month alcohol sales ban after police found stolen wine on its shelves
Bristol: So, there’s this corner shop that just got hit with a three-month ban on selling booze. Why? Well, the police found some wine that they think was stolen right on the shelves. It’s the International Mini Market on Sandy Park Road, and they were also caught selling vapes that were way too big to be legal.
The police got involved and asked the city council to take away the shop’s alcohol license after discovering several bottles that looked like they had been shoplifted. But instead of shutting them down completely, the council decided to give the shopkeeper a second chance during a hearing.
The shopkeeper, Shaho Mohammed, argued that the wine and whiskey had been there long before he took over the store in 2022. But the police weren’t buying it, especially since some bottles were dated 2023.
One police officer pointed out that some bottles showed signs of having their security tags ripped off. He said that by selling what looked like stolen goods, the shop was basically encouraging thieves to keep stealing. They even found a bunch of vapes that were ten times the legal size, which is just wild.
During an inspection last October, they found a mix of wines from Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, and the Co-op, along with some whiskey that had its security seals removed. Licensed shops are supposed to help prevent crime, but the police felt this one was actually helping it happen.
The shopkeeper’s lawyer said that while Mohammed took over the shop a while back, he couldn’t explain why the police found the booze. He mentioned that the types of wine found weren’t exactly popular, so they could have been sitting there for ages. He also said the rules about vapes were confusing, and he bought them from various sources, some of which were legit and some not.
Mohammed took the whole situation as a learning experience. He plans to get training on holding a premises license, fix the CCTV issues, and make sure staff are trained to check IDs properly.
A local councillor gave him a serious warning, saying this was his last chance to get things sorted out. They hope they won’t have to deal with him again, but the police and trading standards will be keeping a close eye on the shop from now on.
