Crackdown on American candy, oversized vapes in Staffordshire

Illicit tobacco, banned imported American candy, oversized vapes and unsafe or counterfeit goods are amongst the items seized by Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards officers last year.

As reported by the council on Wednesday (8), the team removed a total of 220,000 illegal products from the market, with an estimated value of around £250,000.

All the items present their own specific threat to public safety and consumer well-being, such as American candy made with unapproved additives, bogus perfumes and dangerous knock-off vapes.

Included in the haul for 2024 were 176,740 illicit cigarettes and 109kg of hand rolling tobacco. The £123,000 haul was seized from shops as part of Operation CeCe. Also removed from the market were over 7,264 illegal or oversized vapes worth around £94,432 as part of Operation Joseph.

As part of Operation Taste, officers have also been leading efforts to remove banned, illegal or harmful foods from the markets. These include banned imported American candy, snacks and drinks, products with incorrect or no allergen labelling, or foods where the origin is not known or clear. During the year, over 3,700 items were removed from the market worth an estimated £10,300.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, said, “Once again, it’s been another busy and successful year for our Trading Standards service.

“These are significant amounts of illegal goods and tackling the supply of them and disrupting the criminal networks behind them remains a priority for the team. Making these seizures is vital work and not only prevents potentially harmful products from reaching consumers but also helps protect legitimate traders and the local economy.

“The teams successes do rely on the support from the public about the sales of such goods and anyone with information should contact the team. Criminals should also remember that officers are never far away and will take the necessary action against any illegal activities.”

Over 8,000 unsafe or non-compliant products were also removed from sale. This included electrical goods, children’s toys and PPE. More than 1,624 counterfeit goods were also seized from shops, markets and from online sellers with a retail value of £6,100 .

Illegal Items removed from sale include banned imported American candy and fizzy drinks, illicit cigarettes and tobacco, counterfeit perfume, illegal and oversized vapes, unsafe children’s toys and tricycles, other non-compliant items like ladders and baby strollers and counterfeit clothing.