According to recent reports from Staffordshire, law enforcement agencies in Staffordshire, England have seized over £5000 worth of illegal e-cigarettes and cigarettes from two shops located in Tamworth.
Officials from the Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards embarked on a confiscation operation with the backing of the Staffordshire Police. Guided by the reliable and steadfast police dog, Griff, they were accompanied by enforcement officer Phillips.
A wide variety of e-cigarette products, equivalent to approximately 9,000 inhalations of each new tobacco product, were seized on the same day, surpassing the legal limit by seven times. In addition, 7,419 cigarettes and 2.1 kilograms of hand-rolled tobacco were also confiscated, with a total estimated value of £5,459.
Victoria Wilson, the head of the trade standards department in Staffordshire County Council, expressed that…
We promise to remove these harmful products from the market in Stafford County. Legitimate e-cigarettes typically deliver about 600 puffs, but the illegal e-cigarettes we seized claim to deliver up to 15,000 puffs, which deeply concerns us. The growing trend of promoting and selling these illicit products to minors also deeply unsettles us, and we are determined to put an end to it.
This raid operation is a part of two projects conducted by the national trade standard department. The first project, named Operation Joseph, is aimed at targeting the supply and sale of illegal tobacco and e-cigarettes. The second project, named Operation CeCe, is focused on cracking down on the supply and sale of illegal tobacco.
Since April 2023, illegal products worth £174,350 have been seized, including nearly 9,000 e-cigarettes and almost 60,000 packs of cigarettes.
