Shop keeps licence after rum found in jerry cans

Homemade rum punch cocktails sold as a "slush puppy" were being produced on an "industrial scale", according to police investigating an off-licence.

Manchester City Council heard officers seized jerry cans containing the drink from Richie and Nickie's Off Licence on Princess Road.

The review centred on allegations involving a rum punch known as Rum Beats, suspected unpaid alcohol duty and Jamaican cigarettes found on the premises.

Representing the licence holders Harold McKenzie and Nickeysha Alecia McKenzie, Duncan Craig challenged what he described as the "emotive" language used in police reports and rejected suggestions the business had been selling "dodgy booze".

PC Stuart Hammersley, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "We just feel we have a lack of confidence going forward that the premises will uphold the licensing objectives in terms of the prevention of crime and disorder."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the hearing on Monday was told Rum Beats was made by mixing a Jamaican rum with an alcohol content of 63%, with fruit juice. Police said the drink had been produced and sold by the business, including at events and fairs.

Officers visited the premises on 9 September alongside His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after receiving intelligence that wholesale alcohol was being sold without the relevant duty being paid.

A report submitted to the council said officers seized 11 jerry cans containing Rum Beats, as well as bottles and a mixing container. GMP described the production process as "homemade and unsophisticated" and said officers could see no evidence of quality control measures, appropriate hygiene measures or equipment to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Police also reported finding cigarettes from Jamaica that did not contain the required UK tobacco track-and-trace codes.

HMRC is continuing to investigate. Hammersley said customs officials had calculated £929.37 in unpaid duty on products seized from the shop.

Craig said there was no evidence before the committee proving duty had not been paid and pointed to invoices from a supplier the business had used "again and again". He also said the cigarettes were not being sold and had instead been given to "some of the old boys" from Jamaica.

After hearing both sides, the council's licensing committee lifted the temporary suspension of the shop's premises licence, and added a new condition covering how invoices must be stored and made available to police and council officers.

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