A haul of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes worth £17,500 has been seized by Staffordshire Police, licensing officers and Trading Standards carried out raids at five retailers in East Staffordshire.
Staffordshire Trade Council last week said that the raids that happened on Monday, (6) at five independent retailers resulted in seizures of 27,178 illegal cigarettes, 2.65 kg of illegal hand rolling tobacco and 455 illegal disposable vapes. The seized haul has a retail value of about £17,500.
The raids are part of Operation CeCe, a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC, to tackle illegal tobacco.
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, said, “The sale of illicit or counterfeit tobacco products is a crime that not only damages local communities and people’s health but also harms legitimate businesses.
“We’re supporting World Anti-counterfeiting Day, which is fitting given the success of these latest raids. We work closely with other local and national agencies to stamp out the sale of such products and we do rely on information from the public on where it is going on. Anyone with information should contact the service on 01785 330356.”
Operation Cece is a joint initiative between HMRC and National Trading Standards to disrupt every aspect of the illegal tobacco market, working collaboratively with Local Trading Standards and other law enforcement agencies.
Wendy Martin, Director, National Trading Standards, said, “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law.”
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