Oxford shisha lounge operator guilty of tobacco offences
An Oxford restaurant and shisha lounge operator has been ordered to pay more than £1,000 after pleading guilty to tobacco offences following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards.
At Reading Magistrates' Court on 11 September 2026, Karim Elmoheen pleaded guilty to three tobacco offences. He also entered guilty pleas on behalf of Aywarestaurants Ltd, the company which operates Mint Kitchen & Lounge, 21 Temple Street, Oxford.
The prosecution followed a trading standards inspection of the premises on 23 February 2025 as part of a project examining compliance at premises supplying shisha products.
During the inspection, officers found widespread breaches of tobacco packaging legislation. Many products did not carry the legally required health warnings, whilst others referred to prohibited flavours, tastes and smells. Officers also found tobacco that had been decanted into unlabelled containers.
In total, trading standards seized 116 unit packs of waterpipe tobacco weighing more than 35 kilograms.
The court heard that the business had previously received advice and guidance from trading standards during a compliance visit in August 2024. Despite this, substantial quantities of non-compliant tobacco remained available for supply when officers returned to the premises in February 2025.
Magistrates fined Elmoheen £120, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £48 and contribute £168 towards prosecution costs. Aywarestaurants Ltd was fined £240, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £96 and contribute £336 towards prosecution costs. The total financial penalty imposed was £1,008. The court also ordered the forfeiture of all tobacco products seized during the investigation.
Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: "Many people wrongly believe that smoking shisha is less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Tobacco laws exist to ensure consumers are given clear information about the health risks involved”
Davina Walkin, Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards Operations Manager, said: “The products found at Mint Kitchen & Lounge lacked important health warnings and included unlawful references to tastes and smells. The business had previously received advice and guidance, which it did not follow. We welcome the guilty pleas entered in this case.”
Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco can contact 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously via www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk
More information
- At the time of the seizure the tobacco duty rate for waterpipe tobacco was £183.49 per kilogram.
- Waterpipe tobacco, commonly known as shisha, is a regulated tobacco product and suppliers must adhere to strict rules on packaging and description.
- The offences related to failures to display statutory health warnings and the use of packaging referring to prohibited tastes or smells.
- All seized tobacco products were forfeited by order of the court and will be destroyed.
- Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK.
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