Walsall Trading Standards has made its biggest-ever seizure, uncovering £1.4 million worth of illegal vapes, fake designer goods, and illicit tobacco in a sweeping raid across stores and a self-storage yard.
The enforcement activity, part of the national Operation CeCe crackdown on illicit tobacco and vapes, took place on July 25, 2025.
Officers initially visited two retail premises in the borough, where sniffer dogs located illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes—even from a sophisticated concealment and a hidden ceiling compartment.
The team then moved on to a self-storage yard in Walsall, where sniffer dogs Griff and Cooper alerted officers to four suspicious containers.
Two were found to be filled with more than 9,000 illegal vapes and a large volume of counterfeit designer goods, including clothing, perfumes, watches and footwear. The remaining containers also contained illegal products concealed among legitimate stock.
In total, over 1,200 items of fake clothing were seized. High-end brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Boss, Tag Heuer, Off-White and Balenciaga were among those counterfeited—likely intended for sale on online marketplaces.
If genuine, the seized goods are estimated to have had a retail value of around £1.4 million, making this the largest ever seizure by Walsall Trading Standards.
The items have been taken to secure storage while investigations continue.
Councillor Adam Hicken, Portfolio Holder for Enforcement and Safe Communities, said, “ This is a serious result and sends a clear message that Walsall will not tolerate illegal trading. Thanks to the hard work of all involved, a significant amount of dangerous and counterfeit good will never see the light of day.
"In Walsall, we are bringing back the force into enforcement, and we won’t stop in our mission to make our home safe, vibrant and clean.
“These counterfeit and illegal products don’t just threaten consumer safety—they damage legitimate local businesses and help fund organised crime.
“I want to thank our Trading Standards team and partners for their relentless work to protect residents."
Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said, "The illicit tobacco trade is driven by organised criminal gangs and poses serious risks to local communities, especially young people.
“Since its launch in January 2021, Operation CeCe – a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC – has removed 69 million illegal cigarettes, 19,750kg of hand-rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, helping to clamp down on this illicit trade and protect communities and honest businesses across the UK. “