#operation-ceecee — Public Fediverse posts
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SWANSEA: Vape shop shut for a third time as Trading Standards vow more closures to come
A Pontarddulais vape shop has been shut down for a third time after Trading Standards officers found illegal stock hidden on the premises.
World of Vapes, on St Teilo Street, was ordered to close for three months after Swansea Council officers visited earlier this month and discovered fake tobacco and vapes stashed in a hidden storage unit.
It is the latest blow for a shop that has now been closed three times in under a year.
The store was first shut in September 2025 as part of a city-wide crackdown that closed nine shops in a single operation.
It reopened, only to be closed again in February when officers uncovered more than £40,000 of illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco — including stock hidden in the flat above. A shop worker later admitted multiple offences.
Now it has been shut a third time.
A second shop, Snoop Vapes on High Street in the city centre, was also closed after repeatedly selling fake tobacco to undercover officers over a two-month period.
Both closures were granted by Swansea Magistrates’ Court, which can extend a council closure to three months.
Snoop Vape Store on High Street, Swansea, shuttered with council closure notices on display after Trading Standards action. — plus the credit: Image: Swansea CouncilRhys Harries, the council’s Trading Standards team leader, said the team was committed to tackling the illegal sale of tobacco and vapes — “often with sales to children.”
He said officers had powers to close shops after a visit, but needed the courts to extend those closures to three months.
He said the aim was to disrupt the trade and stop harmful goods reaching younger children.
“There’s more to come,” he added. “We have continued with our intelligence gathering and there will be more closures this year.”
The latest action follows a major operation in October 2025, when Trading Standards joined forces with South Wales Police to raid shops across the city.
Nine shops were closed in those raids, with more than £70,000 of illegal tobacco and vapes seized.
Swansea is among the worst-hit areas in the UK for the trade, having recently been ranked fifth in the country for illegal vape seizures.
Andrew Williams, the council’s cabinet member for development, said the authority was taking the sale of illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco “very seriously.”
He said the Trading Standards team had made the issue a priority and gathered large amounts of intelligence on which shops had been selling illegal goods to consumers, including children.
He said the latest operation had been very successful in disrupting the trade, and he hoped it would send a strong message to other businesses that they had a duty to trade legally.
Trading Standards has confirmed that more shops will be targeted and closed as its intelligence-gathering and test purchases continue.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Nine Swansea vape shops shut down in major crackdown
The city-wide Operation Ceecee that first targeted illegal vape and tobacco sales.Pontarddulais shop shut again after £40k haul
The same World of Vapes store closed a second time in February.Swansea ranked fifth in UK for illegal vape seizures
#counterfeitTobacco #illegalVapes #OperationCeecee #Pontarddulais #SwanseaCouncil #TradingStandards
New data revealing the scale of the illicit trade across the city. -
Vape shop shut down again after £40k haul of illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco in Pontarddulais
Swansea Council has shut down World of Vapes on St Teilo Street just weeks after the business reopened from an earlier enforcement action. The shop was originally ordered to close for three months in September 2025 following a city‑wide crackdown on illicit vape sales.
Repeat test purchases lead to new closure
Trading Standards officers returned to the shop in January after the temporary closure notice expired. Test purchases were carried out and counterfeit tobacco was sold to officers.
A further search of the premises — including the flat above the shop — uncovered a large quantity of illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco with a combined street value of more than £40,000.
The shop worker responsible, Many Shahabi Karimi, has since pleaded guilty to multiple offences relating to the fraudulent sale of counterfeit goods. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced later this month.
Council says enforcement will continue
Rhys Harries, Trading Standards Team Leader at Swansea Council, said the latest discovery shows the scale of the problem:
“Test purchasing will continue to take place and we will use all available legal powers to ensure these shops are not selling illegal vapes or counterfeit tobacco.”
Cllr Andrew Williams, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, accompanied officers on the latest visit.
He said:
“Our Trading Standards Team is working hard with local police to prevent these shops from trading in illegal and counterfeit goods. A number of those closed temporarily in September have not reopened and we are succeeding in disrupting this ongoing business.”
He added that the repeat closure of World of Vapes shows the council will continue to monitor premises even after temporary notices end:
“We will use our powers to close them down again.”
Part of wider crackdown on illegal vape sales
World of Vapes was one of nine shops shut during Operation Ceecee in September 2025 — a joint operation between Swansea Council and South Wales Police targeting the sale of illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco across the city.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Nine Swansea vape shops shut down in major crackdown on illegal sales
Part of the same city‑wide operation targeting illicit vape and tobacco products.Swansea magistrates extend closure of vape shops in crackdown on illegal sales
Court‑ordered extensions followed further evidence of illegal trading.Council wins vape shop closure order
Trading Standards secured a closure order after repeated breaches.Taibach vape shop shut down after selling illegal cigarettes and vapes
Enforcement action taken after illegal tobacco and vapes were found on sale.Vape shop shut down after illegal stock and cannabis seized in Port Talbot
#counterfeitTobacco #featured #illegalVapes #OperationCeecee #Pontarddulais #shopClosure #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #TradingStandards
Officers discovered illegal vapes alongside cannabis during a joint operation.