Peshawa Zada, owner of Bob Marley Vapes, St Helen’s Road, has pleaded guilty to a number of offences relating to the sale of unlawful vapes, counterfeit cigarettes and fraud, and is due to be sentenced in April.
Mr Zada, 23 of St Helen’s Road, had repeated visits by Trading Standards, dating back to March 2023, where officers were concerned with continued sales of the illegal vape products and complaints they were being sold to children under the age of 18.
In the UK, disposable vapes cannot be sold with more than 2ml of liquid. Visits to the Swansea-based shop, established vapes were being sold with 10ml of liquid and were seized by the Council.
During the latest visit in March, trading standards officers discovered a number of concealed storage areas at the rear of the shop and in the ceiling which contained illegal vapes, along with counterfeit cigarettes.
The shop owner was arrested and charged with seven offences. He has since pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates and has been remanded in custody until sentencing next month.
David Hopkins, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Service and Performance, said: “Shop owners selling illegal products with age restrictions, to underage children, are not only breaking the law, but they are also displaying a complete lack of awareness about the consequences, the sale of these products can cause to young people.
“Our trading standards team has continued the excellent work it has already done in recent years, to stamp out the sale of these potentially harmful products, that are getting into the hands of young children.”
In 2024, the Council led an operation with police (Operation Thor) to seize illegal vapes from a large storage facility in London, seizing more than 120,000 illegal vapes with a street value of £1.5million.
Cllr Hopkins, said: “The operation was a great success in terms of stemming the flow of illegal vapes into Swansea. Sadly, we know that shops in the city are still attempting to sell these illegal goods such as vapes and counterfeit cigarettes.
“We will continue to target these stores and keep consumers safe.”
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