Eliza Barr, St George Shire Standard
November 6, 2019
DAILYTELEGRAPH.COM.AU
A 16-year-old boy was used in a sting when public health officers busted a Sydney tobacconist selling e-cigarettes and fruity flavoured e-liquids to children.
Public health officers used a 16-year-old boy as an undercover pawn to bust a Sydney tobacconist selling e-cigarettes to children.
The South East Sydney Public Health Unit began investigating Cignall Miranda tobacconist Jin Long Wang, 58, after he sold an e-cigarette and strawberry, mango and grape-flavoured e-liquids worth $163 in total to a 14-year-old boy on March 30 this year.
“Some time after this his parents discovered the purchases and his father contacted the SESPHU to make a complaint and arranged for his son to hand over the e-cigarette items to investigators,” court documents stated.
On June 18 environmental health officers from SESPHU used a 16-year-old boy to conduct tobacco compliance testing at Wang’s established business inside Westfield Miranda.
“At about 4.38pm the minor was provided with two $50 notes and entered the shop and approached Jin Long Wang,” court documents stated.
“The minor said ‘can I please have a look at your disposable vapes’ and the defendant then produced a sheet of paper that listed all the available flavours.”
Wang sold the teen an E-Hookah watermelon e-cigarette for $15 and a packet of Manchester Blue 20 cigarettes before he left the shop.
“At no stage did Jin Long Wang ask the minor how old he was or ask that he produce any identification,” court documents stated.
An environmental health officer subsequently entered the tobacconist and was able to buy three individual cigarettes, which is an offence under Section 22 of the Public Health Act.
Wang was convicted and fined $1000 after pleading guilty to three counts of selling e-cigarettes to children under 18, two counts of selling tobacco products to children under 18, selling individual cigarettes and two counts of having tobacco products visible to the public.
The maximum available penalty for second or subsequent offences is $55,000.
In a written submission to the court, Wang’s solicitor said he was “truly remorseful” and had “learned his lesson”.
“On June 18, the man looked very mature and our client thought he was definitely over the age of 18 years old,” the submission stated.
Referring to the environmental health officer, the solicitor wrote Wang was “glad to meet someone who could speak Chinese”.
“Our client felt this customer did not have much money and could not afford a packet of cigarettes,” the submission stated.
“Our client has run this store for 14 years and has never sold cigarettes as individual items before – this man with a Chinese background reminded our client of himself when he first arrived in Australia with only little money.”
The Cabramatta man has operated Cignall at Miranda since 2004, relocating and renovating the store when Westfield Miranda underwent major upgrades in 2014.
Fowler federal Labor MP Chris Hayes awarded him a Community Service Award in 2013 after he donated $10,000 to the Sydney Indo-Chinese Youth Sport Association.
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