A Pembrokeshire shop owner has admitted selling illegal vapes.

A Haverfordwest business named Vape Zone, owned by Salar Jaff, was found selling non-compliant vapes after a Pembrokeshire County Council Trading Standards investigation.

Trading Standards officers had received reports of the Market Street based business selling illegal vapes.

On their visit on October 3, 2023, they discovered a large stock of illegal vapes on open display.

These vapes' tank capacities ranged from 10ml to 18ml, far exceeding the 2ml limit as stated by the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The vapes would provide between 4,000 to 9,000 puffs.

The shop assistant was advised about the illegality of these vapes and underage sales, which was also part of the investigation.

He voluntarily handed over 352 non-compliant vapes after being made aware that traders are only allowed to supply disposable E-cigarettes with tanks no bigger than 2ml.

A warning letter was sent to the company director, Salar Jaff, on October 6 providing further guidance.

There was no response from Mr. Jaff.

Complaints of non-compliant vapes being sold persisted, and on October 30, officers completed a successful test purchase of an illegal vape, but the non-compliant vapes were not on display.

116 illegal vapes were seized vapes from a kitchen cupboard next to the shop. They also seized eight empty boxes which would have contained 10 vapes each, implying around 84 had been sold.

A customer purchased another non-compliant vape from Vape Zone on December 16.

Mr. Jaff admitted four violations under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and two under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in court on June 10.

The 49-year-old Hull resident was sentenced to 120 hours unpaid work, 15 days rehabilitation activity, and put under a 12-month community order.

He was also required to pay £2,307.40 in costs plus a £144 victim surcharge.

Pembrokeshire County Council's public protection manager, Jeff Beynon, said: "Non-compliant vapes have flooded the UK market and this is an overwhelming issue for local Trading Standards authorities."

He expressed concerns over the high nicotine content in these vapes, which is a severe problem because "nicotine isn’t just highly addictive, it’s also a poison."

He stressed the potential harm, especially to the young as "nicotine can harm the developing adolescent brain and may also increase risk for future addiction to other drugs."

There is growing concern about the hidden dangers contained within these illegal vapes.

Mr Beynon highlighted a case from Derby where a counterfeit vape was found to contain arsenic, lead, and formaldehyde, raising serious health concerns.

He made it clear that these illegal vapes pose a significant threat, being "very appealable to young people and children" and that the regulatory authorities need to step up efforts to control it.