Kent c-store raided: £45k illegal products, revolver seized

Almost 20kg of illicit tobacco and around 40,000 illegal cigarettes being sold to fund organised crime have been seized for destruction from a shop in Maidstone.

The confiscated goods, which included boxes of illegal vaping products, have an estimated recommended retail price of £45,356.

As informed by Kent Police on Monday (10), patrols entered the business premises on Upper Stone Street at around 3pm on Feb 28 to carry out an inspection, alongside partners from Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council Trading Standards.

During the search, officers found two hides; one of which required a strong magnet to open. The other was accessed by operating a modified light switch.

Alongside the hoard of illicit tobacco products, an air-powered revolver was retrieved, for which the business did not have the appropriate licences to sell.

Investigating officer, PC Tom Cunningham, said, ‘Counterfeit tobacco and vape products pose serious health risks to users.

"Their manufacture is not regulated meaning they often contain higher levels of chemicals, as well as ingredients not fit for human consumption, such as animal hair and human faeces."

"In a wider, detrimental impact to the community, those involved in the production and distribution of such goods are often connected with organised crime groups.

"These criminals have not only been found to breach employment regulations but often participate in illegal activities such as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and drug smuggling.

"In choosing to purchase the often cheaper, illicit tobacco and vape products, members of the public are not only compromising their health but are unknowingly funding abhorrent crimes."

This comes couple of weeks after a test purchasing operation conducted by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Nottingham uncovered the shocking scale of the illicit tobacco and vapes market in the city.

Undercover operatives carried out multiple test purchases across Nottingham in November 2024, visiting 17 stores and finding 25 illicit tobacco and vapes. Counterfeit and contraband tobacco products were easily obtained from stores, including 50g Roll Your Own (RYO) packets from as little as £5.00, and ready-made cigarettes (RMC) from £4.00. Illegal vapes with puff counts of up to 22,000 were also discovered.