A court has ordered more than 100,000 vapes to be destroyed for breaching UK tobacco laws.

A refrigerated container containing nine tonnes worth of vapes was seized from Holyhead Port in October 2023.

The size of the unit was five times larger than the maximum permitted and did not contain the required safety leaflet or relevant contact details, not any required health warning on a third of the packaging.

Ibrahim Shafi, the director of Lancashire-based SpeedDrop Logistics, was fined after pleading guilty on three counts of importing non-compliant products.

Mold Magistrates Court heard UK Border Force officers at Holyhead alerted Anglesey Trading Standards to inspect a container, which was declared on the ship manifest as "perishable food".

109,600 Hyati Pro 4000+ vapes, labelled as 10ml, were found inside the unit, along with a dispatch note identifying atomizers that were to be sent to SpeedDrop Global, a courier firm in Blackburn.

Shafi (34) told Anglesey Council that the products were owned by European Distirbution NW Ltd, and that SpeedDrop Logistics was the freight carrier with delivery intended for SpeedDrop Global - all three businesses had Shafi as the sole director.

He claimed the vapes were being imported for re-export, but the agreement with his customer in Morocco was not finalised at the time of import.

Both Shafi and the company had previously denied the offences but changed their pleas to guilty on the day they were due to go on trial.

Prosecutors said a Trading Standards officer, based at Sefton, Merseyside, would have given evidence that he had spoken previously to Shafi, following an attempt to import non-compliant vapes through Liverpool.

In that case, they were sent back to Ireland and Shafi was advised to seek advice from his local trading standards at Lancashire County Council.

The following day after the Holyhead seizure, police stopped vans carrying oversized vapes which had been imported through Loch Ryan, near Stranraer, and had been destined to SpeedDrop in Blackburn.

Later that month, Shafi made an application to have European Distribution NW Ltd struck off - which was withdrawn in March 2024. It was suggested this possibly as the company's banking records identified UK retailers involved with non-compliant vapes.

Defence barrister Muthupandi Ganesan said Shafi had never seen the vapes himself. He described his client as a family man and the main breadwinner who was living with his parents, wife and five children, all under the age of nine.

In sentencing, District Judge Gwyn Jones said Shafi, as a businessman, knew there was an issue with the vapes and warned that those bringing items into Wales and England were responsible for ensuring they are compliant.

Shafi was fined £10,500 for the three offences and ordered to pay £18,328.61 in costs to the prosecution and a further £2,000 victim surcharge.

SpeedDrop Logistics Ltd was fined £750 and ordered to pay a £300 victim surcharge.