Sheffield illicit tobacco and vapes trader must repay £228k in order to avoid prison sentence
An illicit tobacco and vapes trader who was operating in the Sheffield will have to repay over £228,000 in order to avoid a prison sentence.
Barzen Mahmood-Poor was prosecuted at Sheffield Crown Court last year for the sale of illegal tobacco and vape products.
The court has now ordered Mahmood-Poor to pay £21,285 within three months, and a total of £228,503 overall, to avoid going to prison under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
Mahmood-Poor, of City Road, Sheffield, and owner of the Manor Mini-Market on the same street, previously pleaded guilty to 10 offences relating to the sale of counterfeit tobacco, tobacco that contravened packaging regulations and vapes with a tank size that exceeded the permitted 2ml.
During a sentence hearing at the same court in August 2025, Mahmood-Poor was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence, along with an order to do 180 hours of unpaid work.
Following the successful prosecution, Sheffield City Council’s Trading Standards team were able to prove that he had made over £200k from his criminality.
Proceeds of crime hearings were subsequently held, resulting in the court awarding a confiscation order for the figure of £228,503 against him.
Councillor Joe Otten, Chair of Waste and Street Scene Committee at Sheffield City Council, said: "This significant successful prosecution illustrates just how hard our Trading Standards team is working to protect the public, including children, from the harm of illegal vapes and tobacco.
“Their dedication to investigate and act on this issue is as important as ever.
“A Proceeds of Crime outcome is such a good outcome, and I thank the team and the officers of South Yorkshire Police who assist the Trading Standards Team in their work.”
The council says its Trading Standards team is continuing to enforce laws on the supply of illegal tobacco and vapes in Sheffield to protect the public from harm.
The team advises tobacco and vapes retailers to act responsibly and to comply with the law when selling tobacco and vaping products.
To stay within the law, the council says retailers should:
- Only sell vapes that are reusable in that they are refillable, rechargeable and have a replaceable coil. All single use disposable vapes have been banned since June 1, 2025.
- Buy all tobacco and vape stock from legitimate sources
- Keep receipts for their stock purchases
- Make sure the tobacco and vape products they sell are in the compliant packaging and are labelled correctly including the relevant health warnings in English
Coun Otten added: “Traders who continually break the law and cause harm will be made accountable for their crimes.
“Illegal traders absolutely need to recognise the harm they cause. Those who buy from them are also contributing to the harm that can be caused by illegal products that are incorrectly labelled, and which contain harmful substances and excessively high illegal levels of nicotine.
“We continue our commitment to protecting the next generation from tobacco harm and those who target them with vapes. Everyone, including children and young people, needs to be safe from harm and we are determined to make sure that they are not put at risk wherever possible.”
Members of the public who are concerned about shops selling illegal vapes - and in particular vapes to children - can report this in a number of ways.
You can report it directly to Sheffield City Council Trading at Trading Standards.
Alternatively, they can call or email Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 who will pass the information onto the council.