'Our largest seizure yet': Huge amount of illegal cigarettes and vapes seized in Walsall

A huge number of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and disposable vapes with a retail value of almost £400,000 was seized from a storage container and traders across Walsall on September 20 by the council’s Trading Standards as part of a crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade.

The members of the team. in partnership with West Midlands Police and a specialist search dog team, searched one storage facility, six retail premises and one associated vehicle.

This activity took place under Operation CeCe, a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tackle illegal tobacco.

The traders were visited by the Trading Standards team and the police after receiving intelligence that illegal tobacco was being sold.

Illegal goods were found in a storage unit and three of the six shops visited. One vehicle was also found to be storing illegal cigarettes.

The seizures included more than 515,000 cigarettes, 2kg of illegal hand rolling tobacco and 400 illegal disposable vapes.

Some of these vapes, which are also very attractive to children due to their colourful appearance and fruity flavours, contained as much as 15,000 puffs when the legal limit is approximately 600.

Sniffer dogs Griff, Bran and Cooper, highly trained tobacco and vapes dogs assisted the team.

Griff sniffed out a storage container where nearly 500,000 illegal cigarettes were being unlawfully stored. Illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes were later found in three retail premises.

In one store, a purpose built sophisticated, wall concealment was found. The concealment had an electromagnet system to keep the hide closed.

Illegal goods were also found behind shop counters, on storeroom floors and in the toilet area.

Ongoing investigations in the borough continue to take place to crack down on illegal products.

Councillor Garry Perry, leader of Walsall Council said: “This is our largest seizure yet, a joint success for our Trading Standards and police colleagues.

“While more illicit goods are now off our streets, it serves as a reminder that this sort of crime cannot go on.

"Illegal tobacco funds organised criminal activity, with links to human trafficking, drugs and even terrorism. It also causes anti-social behaviour and exploits vulnerable people in our communities.

“I would like to thank our colleagues across Trading Standards, West Midlands Police and our sniffer dogs Griff, Bran and Cooper for carrying out this work.

“We take this sort of activity very seriously and we will ensure every enforcement approach and technique is used to ensure that this is disrupted.”

Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards said, “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law.

"Having removed 27 million illegal cigarettes, 7,500kg of hand rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, the National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”