Shopkeeper hid £45k of illegal cigarettes and vapes

A SHOPKEEPER had tens of thousands of pounds worth of illegal tobacco and vapes including stock hidden in secret compartments and in the base of his bed.

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In total Halkawt Arif was found with almost £45,000-worth of unlawful products - including vapes with liquid reservoirs up to 20 times the permitted limit - along with £1,690 in cash.

Sending the defendant to prison, Judge Huw Rees at Swansea Crown Court said the sale of unlawful tobacco and vape products was an increasing problem across the UK and said the seriousness of the issue “cannot be overstated”.

Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, told the court the case followed a visit to a shop called Snoop Vape Store in Swansea's High Street in July last year.