Illegal vapes and illicit tobacco seized in raids in Staffordshire
Trading Standards officers from Staffordshire County Council have seized illegal vapes, illicit tobacco and cigarettes worth more than £9,000 during a series of raids.
Officers supported by Staffordshire Police and specialist search dogs made the discovery during raids at three premises in Newcastle-under-Lyme on Wednesday, June 4.
Items with an estimated retail value of £9,294 were seized including 5,460 cigarettes, 2.75kg of hand rolling tobacco and 431 illegal, oversized or banned vapes.
The action was part of Operation CeCe and Operation Joseph, both national initiatives to tackle the sale of illicit tobacco and illegal vapes, respectively.
The operation also coincided with the Government’s ban of single use vapes on 1 June, aimed at tackling the growing public health and environmental concerns associated with disposable vapes.
The proposals will also help to reduce youth vaping, including restricting vape flavours, regulating vape packaging and point of sale displays.
Anthony Screen, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Staffordshire Council, said: “Our priority is to protect consumers from harm and removing these goods from the streets is a great example of the team’s work.
“The supply of these illicit and illegal goods is closely linked to organised crime and helps fund their operations. The items can also be dangerous to people’s health and can affect legitimate traders at the same time. Anyone with information should get in touch with the service who will take the necessary action.”
Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, said: “The illicit tobacco trade is driven by organised criminal gangs and poses serious risks to local communities, especially young people.
“Since its launch in January 2021, Operation CeCe – a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC – has removed 69 million illegal cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, helping to clamp down on this illicit trade and protect communities and honest businesses across the UK.”
In Staffordshire, since 2021, more than 1.8 million illegal cigarettes and 336 kg of illegal tobacco have been removed from the market and, since 2022, 33,000 illegal vaping products have been removed from sale.
People can report the sale of illicit, illegal or counterfeit goods to Trading Standards on their confidential helpline on 01785 330356 or on the Trading Standards webpage.
