Posted on: Wednesday 8 November 2023
A 42-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the possession and sale of illegal disposable vapes.
Jay Khandhar, who at the time of the offence was the sole director of Smokers N Vapers Ltd. of 34, The Mall in Cwmbran Shopping, admitted to 10 charges of selling illegal single use vapes at Newport Magistrates Court on November 1, 2023.
Torfaen Council’s Trading Standards team had previously provided help and advice on the legal requirements for selling these products, but when officers visited the store in June 2022, they discovered nearly 250 vapes on display which did not comply with the law. Some of these vapes were tested and found to possess excessive levels of nicotine.
In court, Khandhar was given credit for his early guilty plea. He was given a 12-month community order with a requirement to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and a £114 victim surcharge. Smokers N Vapers Ltd were fined £2000 with a victim support surcharge of £800 and ordered to pay full costs at £951.96 making a total fine of £3865.96. The court also ordered the destruction of the illegal vapes.
Councillor Mandy Owen, Torfaen’s executive member for the environment said: "Our Trading Standards team work extremely hard to tackle the supply of illegal single use vapes. Officers undertake checks to ensure only legal products that have undergone the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) submission and notification process are sold to customers.
“Although vaping is considered safer than smoking traditional tobacco products, inhaling nicotine through a device is not risk-free, which is why legislation is in place to regulate products placed on the market.”
Anyone with information about the sale of illegal vapes can contact the Torfaen Trading Standards team on 01633 647623 or e-mail trading.standards@torfaen.gov.uk
Further information on Trading Standards can be found at http://www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/Business/TradingStandards/Trading-Standards.aspx