Repeat Offender Shop Owner Pleads Guilty to Selling Tobacco Whilst Banned

Date: 23 June 2026

At Belfast Magistrates’ Court today, the owner of a Belfast shop plead guilty to selling tobacco while banned from doing so.

The case was taken by Belfast City Council against Mr Michael O’Reilly, who owns O’Reilly’s on Donegall Street.  

Previously, Mr O’Reilly had received an 18-month ban on selling cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine-inhaling products in April 2025.  He was also banned for 12 months in February 2023. 

Despite this existing ban on tobacco sales, an enforcement officer from Belfast City Council was able to purchase cigarettes from O’Reilly’s shop in late 2025.

At Belfast Magistrates Court, Mr O’Reilly pleaded guilty to multiple charges: selling cigarettes whilst banned from doing so, failing to remove tobacco from the retail area while the Restricted Sales and Restricted Premises Order were in place, and selling cigarettes not in plain packaging.

Mr O’Reilly was fined a total of £3000 and ordered to pay £228 legal costs following his guilty pleas.

Belfast City Council is responsible for maintaining the Tobacco Register NI, a list of businesses who are accessible to the public and sell tobacco products.  Like other councils across Northern Ireland, it employs Tobacco Control Officers who enforce tobacco laws, ensure compliance with the Tobacco Register NI, support tobacco businesses to maintain good practice, and support public health initiatives to reduce smoking.

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