Wrongly seized cigars returned to Smethwick c-store with apology

Alleged “illegal” cigars seized from Londonderry Road’s Nisa have been returned the next day by trading officers with an apology though a store’s staff has accused the officers of tarnishing the store’s reputation.

According to local reports, Nisa on Londonderry Road was visited during a “day of action” on July 7. Sandwell Council’s trading standards and licensing officers were joined by West Midlands Police officers who visited various shops across the borough on the lookout for illegal tobacco and vaping products.

Staff at the shop, which has been in business for 35 years, said they were used to spot-checks but were surprised to see police. They said since police officers were present while the products were bagged up, it gave their customers and those passing during the busy lunchtime the wrong impression.

“Trading Standards came with two police officers and said they were checking the area ahead of the Commonwealth Games. They took our cigars down and said they were illegal. They said they were old stock with an old wrapper. We told them it was new stock and they were legal – we even phoned the rep and she told them as well but he wasn’t having it. He bagged them up and took them,” reports quoted a store’s worker, who did not wish to be named, as saying.

The worker added that the seized cigars were brought back the next day by another officer.

“There was an apology but that’s not the point. Who saw that? Not our customers. It’s not about the cigars, it’s about our reputation. We’ve been here 35 years and never had anything like this,” the staff said, adding that they were used to spot-checks but this time they were “rude”.

Sandwell Council, on the other hand, was keen to stress the shop was not raided and the visit was routine. The local authority told local media that visits were carried out “for a number of reasons” but were ultimately to “check and ensure that the business is complying with the law”.