A West London convenience store is fighting for its survival after being caught selling illegal tobacco and alcohol products to undercover council officers on multiple occasions.
Three-Year Pattern of Illegal Sales
Jo Jo Convenience Store on Fulham High Street could have its licence revoked following a damning report from Hammersmith and Fulham Council's Trading Standards team. The report reveals a series of illicit sales occurring between January 2022 and March 2025.
The problems first surfaced in January 2022, when officers raided the premises and seized 529 illegal e-cigarettes. These vapes contained six times the legal limit of e-liquid and a nicotine concentration of 5%, far exceeding the 2% maximum permitted by law.
At the time, the licence holder, Gajinder Singh Sachdeva, claimed the items had been supplied by "a caller to the shop". The business received a formal warning.
Undercover Operations Uncover Hidden Stashes
The situation escalated in May 2022 when undercover officers successfully purchased two packs of Polish-market Marlboro Gold cigarettes, illegal for UK sale, for £8 each. Returning a month later with a detection dog, they uncovered a large hidden cache.
This haul included more illegal cigarettes, counterfeit shishas, and bottles of Smirnoff vodka that were genuine but on which UK duty had not been paid. Mr Sachdeva was interviewed under caution, again blaming a mysterious caller for delivering the goods 3-4 days prior—a claim Trading Standards dismissed as "impossible" given the test purchase a month earlier.
Mr Sachdeva avoided court by agreeing to display signs admitting the offences and contributing to the council's costs, receiving another warning.
New Licence Holder, Same Problems
Despite the change in licence holder to Kalyan Singh in 2024, illegal activity allegedly continued. In October 2024, officers bought a packet of Marlboro Gold marked "for duty-free sale only" for £10.
Further test purchases in late 2024 and a final visit in March 2025 confirmed the pattern. During the March visit, Mr Singh offered a pack of duty-free Vogue Frisson cigarettes for £8. When officers returned the next day with a detection dog, Mr Singh allegedly made no attempt to assist them in locating illicit goods.
A subsequent search revealed 25 packs of duty-free cigarettes, seven large packs of hand-rolling tobacco, 33 oversized vapes, and six bottles of duty-owing Smirnoff Vodka. Tobacco was found concealed in crisp boxes, behind food on shelves, and in boxes marked for legal e-cigarettes.
In October 2025, Mr Singh admitted selling illegal cigarettes, claiming his boss, Mr Sachdeva, had supplied them. Mr Sachdeva, in turn, pointed to a supplier who visited the shop. The report states the cigarettes were bought for £5 a packet and sold for £8.
Serious Public Safety Concerns
In their report calling for licence revocation, Trading Standards officers highlighted significant risks. They stated that "cheap" tobacco makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit, and that non-EU cigarettes lack self-extinguishing properties, raising the risk of house fires.
Officers emphasised the criminal links, writing: "The vast majority of illicit products... are distributed by organised crime groups, which are most likely to be involved in other – even more serious - criminal activity." They concluded there had been a "clear and repeated failure to promote the 'prevention of crime' objective" of the licensing act.
A crucial licence review hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, 20 January 2026 at Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which will decide the shop's fate.
