Boyle shop owner fined after selling strawberry vape to child in undercover sting

The owner of GreenRock Convenience Store on Main St, Knocknashee, Boyle has been fined after a 16-year-old was sold a vape without being asked for ID during an undercover HSE sting.

Carrick-on-Shannon District Court heard the test purchase took place on 11 November 2024, after Gardaí and members of the public raised concerns about underage sales at the store. HSE officer Martina Wallace told the court she entered the premises ahead of the volunteer teenager.

“The child asked for a strawberry-flavoured vape,” Wallace said. “The staff member handed it to her, took the money, and didn’t ask for ID or her age. I witnessed the sale and immediately informed the server that he had just sold a vape containing nicotine to a minor.”

The staff member who made the sale was named as Sulman Awan. The business is owned by Tehseen Kashif, who was not present at the time but accepted full responsibility through his solicitor, John Anderson.

“There was a full admission at the earliest opportunity,” Anderson said. “My client has taken the matter extremely seriously. All staff have now been retrained, and a strict ID policy is in place. The business assures the HSE and the court that this will not happen again.”

Judge Brendan O’Reilly confirmed there were no previous convictions. “It appears this was a serious lapse, but it was addressed quickly,” he said. “It’s a hard lesson—but one I hope is now learned.”

Convicting the business, the judge imposed a €300 fine and ordered €1,200 in prosecution costs payable to the HSE.

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