Donegall Street Shop Owner Fined £3000 for Repeated Tobacco Sales Ban Breach

A North Belfast shop owner has been handed a substantial fine of £3000 and ordered to pay £228 in legal costs after admitting to multiple charges related to the illegal sale of tobacco. Mr Michael O’Reilly, owner of O’Reilly’s on Donegall Street, pleaded guilty at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on June 23, 2026, to selling tobacco products despite being explicitly banned from doing so.

This is not the first time Mr O’Reilly has faced such restrictions. He had previously received an 18-month ban on selling cigarettes, tobacco, and other nicotine-inhaling products in April 2025, following an earlier 12-month ban issued in February 2023. Despite these prohibitions, an enforcement officer successfully purchased cigarettes from O’Reilly’s shop in late 2025.

The charges Mr O'Reilly pleaded guilty to included selling cigarettes whilst banned, failing to remove tobacco from the retail area while Restricted Sales and Restricted Premises Orders were in place, and selling cigarettes not in plain packaging.

These enforcement actions are part of ongoing efforts to maintain the Tobacco Register NI, a public list of businesses authorised to sell tobacco. Officers are responsible for upholding tobacco laws, ensuring compliance, and supporting public health initiatives aimed at reducing smoking across Northern Ireland.