Second jail term for man selling counterfeit tobacco in Swansea

Adnan Abdullah of Morris Lane, St Thomas, pleaded guilty in Swansea Crown Court to one offence of fraudulent trading, following an investigation by Swansea Trading Standards into the continued sale and supply of counterfeit cigarettes to shops across the city.

He has now been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being caught with more than 3,000 packets of counterfeit cigarettes in his car with a street value of more than £15,000.

He was also made the subject of a criminal behaviour order, preventing him from entering Swansea city for a period of 10 years. It is thought Mr Abdullah will be deported once his prison term is completed.

The car Mr Abdullah was driving at the time of his arrest had previously been identified by Trading Standards as the vehicle used in the delivery of counterfeit tobacco to shops around the city. Police were tipped off about the identity of the car and stopped the vehicle along a city road in July 2025.

In Swansea Crown Court, the judge also banned Mr Abdullah from driving for 30 months for having no insurance or a driving licence.

The latest sentence follows a 16-month jail term handed down to Mr Abdullah in January 2024 after he was stopped in his vehicle late in 2023, with more than £37,000 in counterfeit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.

Rhys Harries, Swansea Council's Trading Standards Team Leader, said: "Mr Abdullah is someone we have been monitoring for some time, due to his activities linked to supplying local shops with counterfeit tobacco.

"After he left prison, we observed him continuing to trade in illegal tobacco and that he was supplying these goods to a number of local shops.

"Police assisted us in stopping Mr Abdullah where we again found a large quantity of illegal goods destined for shops in Swansea."

The Council recently carried out a major operation with South Wales Police and other agencies, targeting shops known to be selling illegal vapes and counterfeit tobacco.

The operation has led to the temporary closure of nine shops throughout the city, with two of the nine now ordered to close for up to three months while investigations continue.

Cllr Andrew Williams, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services (Performance), said: "Trading Standards is committed to ensuring shops across Swansea are operating legally and are not putting consumers at risk by selling counterfeit tobacco or illegal vapes.

"This latest case has helped to prevent the supply of counterfeit tobacco to shops in the city and therefore prevent it from getting into the hands of consumers."