- £25k+ in illegal vapes, tobacco, and shisha seized in Sunderland raids.
- Hidden stashes found in bone saws and under CCTV units.
- Products linked to organised crime and sold without age checks.
More than £25,000 worth of illegal cigarettes, vapes, and hand-rolled tobacco were seized following a day of action by police and Trading Standard officers in Sunderland.
Officers from Sunderland’s Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) partnered up with the North East Regional Crime Unit (NEROCU), Sunderland City Council, Trading Standards and a specialist sniffer dog team to visit premises across Sunderland and Washington suspected of selling illegal produce.
According to Northumbria Police, officers recovered produce from a variety of locations, including a hydraulic lift hidden under a CCTV unit, and from the inside of an electric butchering bone saw.
Across the day, six premises were visited and a total of 2,204 cigarettes, 1,089 vapes and 669 pouches of hand-rolled tobacco were recovered. All the items seized were illegal.
23 pouches of illegal shisha and 496 non-complaint food items were also seized.
Neighbourhood Inspector Graham Cox, of Northumbria Police, said, “This is a brilliant example of collaborative intelligence-led policing and an excellent result for Sunderland all round.
“We’ll continue to work with our partners to carry out unannounced visits to stores which we believe are selling illegal products.
“What may seem like a harmless vape to some, may actually be linked to much wider types of offending – and often serious and organised crime.”
Cox thanked members of the public who came forward and provided the information on suspicious activity.
Sunderland City Council, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Lindsey Leonard said, “These seizures and our ongoing work with Northumbria Police and other agencies, are an important part of driving illegal tobacco and other prohibited goods out of Sunderland.
“A smoker might be thinking they’re getting a bargain but if it’s illegal it often has links to organised crime, the drugs trade, human trafficking, loan sharks and it’s very likely that it has been smuggled into the country and also fake.
“This is to say nothing of the floor sweepings or saw dust that can be in illegal tobacco.
“Smoking kills up to two in three lifetime smokers and the sales of these illegal products isn't generally subject to the usual age checks, so they're as likely to be sold to children, getting them hooked on a lethal and possibly fatal addiction.
“From the beginning of June 2025, it has been illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes. The ban was introduced to reduce environmental damage caused by the devices and in an effort to cut the number of children and young people vaping."