Two vape shops in Morriston, Swansea, have been ordered to shut their doors for three months after magistrates backed closure applications from the council’s Trading Standards team. The orders are the latest strike in Swansea’s prolonged campaign against illegal and counterfeit vapes and tobacco.
The operation began with old-fashioned undercover work. Trading Standards officers made test purchases at Morriston & Vape and Monsoon Vape and were sold illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco. That evidence triggered a coordinated follow-up in September 2026, when officers returned with local police.
What they found went beyond dodgy stock. Alongside quantities of counterfeit tobacco, illegal vapes and class B drugs, a vehicle believed to have been used as a delivery vehicle was seized, and five residential properties linked to the businesses were also searched.
Timeline of the operation
| Stage | What happened |
|---|---|
| Test purchases | Undercover officers bought illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco at both shops |
| September 2026 | Trading Standards and police returned for enforcement visits; five linked homes searched |
| Seizures | Counterfeit tobacco, illegal vapes, class B drugs and a suspected delivery vehicle taken |
| Arrests | Four people arrested; two remanded in custody, two bailed for future court appearances |
| Closure orders | Magistrates approved three-month closure notices for both premises (reported October 16, 2026) |
Four individuals were arrested as a result. Two were remanded in custody while the other two were bailed to appear in court at a later date.
Cllr Andrew Williams, the council’s Cabinet Member for Development, said the closures were another great example of Trading Standards disrupting businesses operating illegally, and that it was unacceptable for vape shops to operate this way, selling counterfeit goods, particularly to children.
The Morriston raids fit a wider pattern across the city. In June 2026 two vape shops in Pontarddulais and the city centre were closed after being caught selling illegal vapes. In October 2025 magistrates forced nine vape shops, including ones along St Helen’s Road, to close. Similar enforcement is playing out elsewhere in the UK too, as shown by the closure order recently secured against a Lancashire mini market caught selling illicit tobacco and vapes.
The crackdown comes as legitimate retailers prepare for the new UK vape rules taking effect October 29, 2026, alongside the new Vaping Products Duty. Councils are making clear the regulated market has room for compliant shops, and none for sellers of counterfeit stock or sales to children.
Source: Swansea Council press release; corroborated by vapebusiness.biz, October 16, 2026.