Birmingham City Council’s Trading Standards team seized 1,666 illegal vapes during two major enforcement actions in Erdington on 7 August, as part of the ongoing Operation Cloud crackdown on illicit goods.
Acting on fresh intelligence and supported by a trained detection dog, officers targeted two premises suspected of selling prohibited products. The raids uncovered a haul worth an estimated £125,000, including 5,624 packets of illicit cigarettes (112,480 sticks) and 992 counterfeit tobacco pouches, alongside the illegal vapes. A vehicle storing the goods was also seized at the scene.
Councillor Jamie Tennant, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, said the latest raids highlighted the city’s “unwavering commitment” to removing dangerous products from communities. “These products were not only harmful to individuals – particularly young people – but also fuelled anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in our neighbourhoods,” he said.
The 7 August seizures follow a separate July enforcement action under Operation Cloud at a Kings Heath premises, where 600 illicit vapes, 40 large nitrous oxide bottles, oral snuff, and unlicensed erectile dysfunction tablets were confiscated. That location – previously raided in November 2024 – has since been hit with a three-month closure order after community concerns over anti-social behaviour.
Launched in September 2024, Operation Cloud has so far removed nearly £7 million worth of illegal goods from circulation, including illicit vapes, nitrous oxide, and counterfeit tobacco. Enforcement has intensified in recent months to target the illegal sale of single-use vapes following the national ban introduced on 1 June 2025.