Blackburn director sentenced for major illegal vape and counterfeit goods operation

A Blackburn businessman has been sentenced following a major operation that uncovered almost 40,000 illegal vapes and thousands of counterfeit products.

Ayub Adam, sole director of Adams Global Ltd, was found guilty of multiple offences relating to the possession and sale of illegal and counterfeit vapes from a unit at Glenfield Business Park in Blackburn.

The operation, run by the council’s Trading Standards department with assistance from Lancashire Constabulary, found that the vapes alone were worth £424,000.

At Preston Magistrates Court, the company was fined £10,000, with additional costs and victim surcharges bringing the total financial penalty to £21,177.78.

Mr Adam himself received a nine-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay prosecution costs of £9,177.78 and a victim surcharge, totalling £9,331.78. Payments are to be made at £200 per month, with collection orders in place.

Mr Adam has also been disqualified from acting as a company director for three years.

The court further ordered the forfeiture of all seized vapes and also forfeited £15,470.77 in cash via a civil forfeiture application made by the Financial Investigator.

In total, officers with the help of a detection dog, seized 39,945 oversized disposable vapes – banned under new national regulations from June 2025 – and 2,254 counterfeit vapes bearing false trademarks.

The investigation uncovered evidence of more than £300,000 in illegal vape sales over just four months, with large amounts of unexplained cash transactions suggesting potential links to organised criminality.

Commenting after the court case concluded, Councillor Jim Smith, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Communities, said: ''This case sends a very clear message – we will not tolerate rogue traders who put profit above public health, consumer safety and the law. The scale of this operation was staggering, with tens of thousands of illegal and counterfeit vapes flooding into our communities.

''Working closely with our partners in Lancashire Constabulary, our Trading Standards team will always take the toughest possible stance against this type of criminality to prepare a detailed case to go before the courts. Public safety comes first and foremost, and we will continue to act decisively to protect people in Blackburn with Darwen.''

Lancashire Constabulary’s local Neighbourhood Inspector Pete Norris, added: ''Illegal vape sales and counterfeit goods are not harmless – they are often linked to wider organised crime, they undermine legitimate businesses and they put public health at risk.

''This was a significant seizure, and it should reassure residents that we will continue to work side by side with Trading Standards and other agencies to disrupt criminal enterprises and keep our communities safe.''