Swansea vape shop owner jailed for illegal products

A Swansea businessman has been sentenced to 16 months behind bars after police discovered his shop was selling dangerous illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco products.

Halkawt Arif, 26, from Waun Wen, initially denied the allegations but changed his plea to guilty on December 8 when faced with the evidence against him.

Officers discovered the illegal operation on July 16, finding e-cigarettes that violated the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 by containing nicotine levels far exceeding legal limits. Further investigation uncovered counterfeit tobacco stashed in unusual hiding places – including inside an oven and a secret compartment built into the shop’s toilet.

A subsequent search of Arif’s flat revealed the true scale of his illegal enterprise. Police seized 1,353 packets of illegal tobacco and 468 illegal vapes, with some of the contraband concealed inside his own bed.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to multiple offences including participating in fraudulent business carried on by a sole trader under the Fraud Act 2006, two counts of producing or supplying electronic cigarettes which didn’t comply with product requirements, and two counts of possessing goods with a false trademark for sale or hire.

PC James Rees commented: “The issue of vape shops selling illegal e-cigarettes and tobacco is one that we are working hard alongside Trading Standards in order to address in Swansea city centre. These illegal products are unsafe and can cause significant health risks to those unsuspecting people who purchase these products from shops which knowingly operate in contradiction to the law. Halkawt Arif played his part in that, and for that it is right that he is going to prison.”