A major illegal vape and counterfeit goods operation has been shut down in Blackburn following a landmark case involving nearly £500,000 worth of illicit products.
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Ayub Adam, the sole director of Adams Global Ltd, was sentenced at Preston Magistrates Court after being found guilty of possessing and selling illegal vapes and counterfeit items from a unit at Glenfield Business Park.
The council’s Trading Standards team, supported by Lancashire Constabulary and a specialist detection dog, uncovered a staggering 39,945 oversized disposable vapes—now banned under UK law—as well as 2,254 counterfeit items bearing false trademarks.
The illegal vapes alone had an estimated street value of £424,000, and officers found evidence of over £300,000 in sales in just four months. Investigators also seized £15,470.77 in unexplained cash.
Mr Adam was given a nine-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and disqualified from being a company director for three years. He must also pay over £9,300 in costs and victim surcharges. His company, Adams Global Ltd, was fined £10,000, bringing the total financial penalty to £21,177.78.
🔎 The Legal Background
- Disposable vapes were banned in England from 1 June 2025 under The Environmental Protection (Single Use Vapes) Regulations 2024.
- The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations limit nicotine-containing vape liquid to 2ml per device—many seized items far exceeded this.
- Counterfeit products violated registered trademarks, breaching the Trade Marks Act 1994.
Authorities say this high-profile prosecution should serve as a warning to others trading in illicit goods that operations of this scale will be met with firm legal consequences.
