Following a detailed investigation by the County Council’s Trading Standards officers relating to incidents in June and August 2024, Amit Shrestha, aged 30, of Porter Close in Aldershot, was sentenced to pay £1,260 within 12 months on Friday 20 March at North Hampshire Magistrates Court in Basingstoke. His business, HX Retail Group Limited, was further sentenced to pay £14,780 within 28 days, amounting to a total of over £16,000 in connection to the possession and underage selling of illicit vapes from his business premises.
Mr Shrestha, trading as HX Retail Group Limited, as well as operating as a sole trader, had pleaded guilty on 28 November 2025 to selling a vape containing nicotine to a 15-year-old volunteer in June 2024, as well as being in possession of over 500 illicit vapes found on the retail premises.
The charges followed a series of visits made by Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards officers who witnessed the purchase of the disposable vape by the child volunteer test purchaser, without confirmation of age or identification checks by the shop assistant. A further visit was made by officers in August 2024 during which over 500 illicit vapes were found, with 300 items on sale.
Councillor Kirsty North, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Lead for Universal Services, said: “This is another important result in our wider crackdown on rogue traders who put profits before public safety. In this case, a clear disregard for the law meant the business was not only stocking hundreds of illicit vape products putting consumers at risk but was also selling them to children.
“That’s why we have prioritised resources to strengthen our enforcement work. We are committed to working with the police and our local communities to identify shops that trade illegally. Dodgy traders undermine legitimate businesses and risk people’s health, and this focus is paying off. As this case shows, we will take firm action where the law is being ignored.”
Information about the sale of counterfeit vapes or tobacco – or any sales to underage people – can be reported in confidence to Hampshire’s Trading Standards service: https://www.hants.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards/contact-us
County Council secures prosecution of rogue trader caught with illegal and underage-sold e-cigarettes
Hampshire County Council has welcomed the successful prosecution of a rogue trader who has been sentenced for the possession and underage selling of illicit electronic cigarettes, commonly known as vapes, at a business in Aldershot
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Mar 20 2026