Around 3200 vapes, 127,300 cigarettes and 23 pouches of shisha, with a retail value of more than £100,000, have been seized in Sandwell this year, the local council has said.
The council added that West Midlands Police are working with its Trading Standards to identify shops in the area that are selling counterfeit products and taking action to disrupt and stop their illegal activity.
This includes conducting intelligence-based inspections, seizing counterfeit products and pursuing closure orders on stores that persistently ignore the law.
During target enforcement activity at a number of stores in Sandwell earlier this year, officers found a haul of vapes hidden in a hidden loft hatch which was sniffed out by a tobacco sniffer dog.
However, some shop owners are more brazen than others as officers found hundreds of vapes and cigarettes displayed in plain sight behind the counter of another store. Trading Standards investigations are ongoing.
“We are continuing our efforts to take illegal vapes and counterfeit cigarettes off our streets and ultimately safeguarding the public,” Daniel Allen, partnerships inspector for Sandwell, said.
“Thanks to our partnership work with Sandwell Council we are disrupting wider criminal activity and protecting the wellbeing of the community.”
Cllr Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for neighbourhoods and communities, added: “This successful operation demonstrates our partnership commitment to protecting residents by cracking down on the sale of illegal products. This work also helps protect law-abiding businesses from the sale of illegal goods which can create an unfair trading environment for the vast majority of businesses that always follow the rules and buy and sell legal products.
"Retailers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach but our message is clear - you may hide it, but we will find it.
“In addition, illegal tobacco and vapes can harm our residents' health, so it's vital we restrict their availability. Illegal vapes are dangerous because they haven't gone through safety tests and there can be severe risks including dispensing too much nicotine, banned substances or encouraging over consumption.”
