Recent operations across multiple counties have seen hundreds and thousands of illegal vapes and tobacco products seized from stores.
Over £14,000 worth of illegal tobacco products have been taken off the streets thanks to an operation by Rossendale Police and Trading Standards. On 31 January officers visited several businesses across Haslingden, Rawtenstall and Waterfoot.
In Oxfordshire, the council’s trading standards team seized nearly 10,000 counterfeit cigarettes along with other tobacco and nicotine products following a series of raids on retail premises.
The raids, carried out on 21 January, were part of Operation CeCe - a national initiative to tackle the sale and supply of illegal tobacco products. The total street value of the haul was approximately £5,000.
York Council and police officers visited a business in Clifton last week, where nearly £5,000 of noncompliant vapes and illicit tobacco was found and seized. The raid uncovered 177 noncompliant vapes, 2,250 counterfeit and illicit cigarettes and 1,450g of counterfeit and illicit hand rolling tobacco.
Meanwhile, City Mini Market in Lancaster has been ordered to close for three months due to the sale of illicit tobacco products and the illegal sale of a vape to a minor. The closure, requested by Lancashire Constabulary, follows multiple seizures of illegal products during test purchases conducted by Trading Standards officers. A three month closure order was granted on January 29.
A Go Local retailer in Bowburn, Durham, was ordered to pay a fine of £2,606 after illegal vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco were uncovered at the store.
Illegal vapes were found behind bottles of whiskey and vodka and wrapped up and placed inside cleaning product packaging. A further search revealed several open boxes of wine, with white plastic bags inside, containing illegal vapes.
In Springburn, Glasgow, local community officers conducted inspections at various premises. During these searches, they discovered 31,420 illegal cigarettes and 1,088 illegal vapes. Police Scotland said that sanctions will be imposed on the businesses involved, which may include fines of up to £10,000.
Find out how to report the illegal sale of vapes and other products here.
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