Greenfield health officials suspend Country Mart’s tobacco license for 30 days, issue $5K fine

Country Mart at 49 Main St. in Greenfield.

Country Mart at 49 Main St. in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Staff Writer

Published: 01-17-2025 4:33 PM

Modified: 01-17-2025 5:24 PM


GREENFIELD — During the Board of Health’s first meeting since it dissolved in August due to lack of staffing, health officials suspended Country Mart’s tobacco license for 30 days and fined the business $5,000 after it accumulated four flavored tobacco sales violations within 36 months.

In 2022 and 2023, Country Mart, located at 49 Main St., was fined for selling tobacco products to minors, and in July 2024, it was fined for selling flavored tobacco products, said Greenfield Public Health Nurse Megan Tudryn. During a Sept. 5 inspection, more flavored tobacco products were found at the store.

“For those three, they were fined and given a suspension and they served the suspension. There’s another one we have not even discussed yet because there was not a Board of Health at the time,” Tudryn said. “I went to Country Mart at 9:25 in the morning to do a tobacco inspection. Muhammad [Hamayun] was there and said he needed to bring his jacket out to the car. We asked him to stop and found underneath his jacket was a bunch of flavored tobacco products.”

Hamayun, who described himself as the Country Mart manager, apologized for the violations and said that, despite training, mistakes happen. In the earlier case of the sales to minors, he said his staff thought the minors looked older than they were, and regarding the flavored tobacco sales, he claims he was unaware the sale of flavored vapes was banned in Massachusetts at the time.

“Ever since then, we stopped selling. We realized our mistakes,” Hamayun said. “I apologize for all the inconvenience. Ever since, we’ve stopped totally and have been trying to abide by the law. … It’s not going to happen again and I would appreciate you giving me a last chance.”

Board members questioned the sincerity of the apology given the September violations not long after the July violation when Country Mart was fined for selling flavored tobacco. They said because the sale of flavored tobacco products is banned in Massachusetts, Country Mart would have had to go out of its way to find an out-of-state distributor to purchase these products.

Greenfield Health Director Michael Theroux confirmed that the product originated outside of Massachusetts, and said the tax stickers found on the cigarettes were from South Carolina.

Hamayun claimed he has no control over what products his shop sells, or where it comes from, as he manages the store for his friend, who he did not identify.

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“All the product we get comes from the owner. We don’t know where it comes from,” Hamayun said.

Tudryn said Hamayun has requested to sell Country Mart, on behalf of his friend, to Wahab Minhas, a Greenfield city councilor and Hamayun’s son. Switching the license to a new name would give the business a fresh slate, so if any further infractions occurred, it would only be considered a first violation, which constitutes a $1,000 fine.

However, research from the Pioneer Valley Tobacco Coalition has already found Minhas’ name on some of the business’ permit documents. Additionally, Country Mart is owned by Greenfield Valley Inc., according to the city Assessor’s Office. Records on the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division website show that Greenfield Valley Inc. has Minhas as its president, treasurer, secretary and director.

Minhas declined to comment on Thursday.

Tudryn said the tobacco coalition has reported store staff members have been uncooperative during previous inspections, and it is suspected that employees have hidden flavored tobacco products on their person to sneak them out of the store during previous inspections as well.

Under Massachusetts General Law, for third and subsequent tobacco sales violations, the Board of Health is mandated to issue at least a 30-day license suspension and a $5,000 fine. Board members questioned if they could opt for a harsher punishment, but were advised not. Lisa Stevens-Goodnight with the Massachusetts Municipal Association recommended the city stick with the regulations that are codified in its ordinances, and added that issuing a fine of more than $5,000 could only be enforced by filing a criminal complaint in court.

Board members voted to issue a $5,000 fine and 30-day license suspension. Additionally, the board will be scheduling a public hearing to consider permanently revoking Country Mart’s tobacco license next month.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.