More than 90,000 cigarettes, 20 kilograms of tobacco and 4800 illegal vapes were seized by North East Lincolnshire Council’s Trading Standards Team during a partnership operation.
Joined by Humberside Police and a specialist dog unit, officers visited several shops on Pasture Street and Cross Coates Road in Grimsby and Cross Street and High Street in Cleethorpes.
During the raid, a number of the shops were found to have complex hidden storage areas, only accessible by triggering an electromagnet switch which were forced open by officers following their discovery by search dogs Cooper, Griff and Bran.
The raids were part of ongoing intelligence-led operation targeting counterfeit and illicit cigarettes, tobacco and illegal disposable vape dealers Operation CeCe and Operation Joseph.
These are joint ventures between National Trading Standards and HMRC targeting the illegal supply of oversized, disposable vaping bars.
In total, 94,360 cigarettes, 23.75 kilos of tobacco and 4841 illegal disposable vapes were seized during the one-day operation, Friday, 21 March. An estimated value for the cigarettes, tobacco and vaping bars seized is over £142,500.
Since the commencement of these Operations in January 2021, North East Lincolnshire Council Trading Standards team have seized 93,807 packs of cigarettes, 12,206 pouches of tobacco and over 17,000 illegal vapes, with a combined value of almost £2.2 million pounds.
Had it not been for raids such as this, all this money would have gone out of the local economy and into the hands of organised crime gangs, stated the council.
"By law, vapes should have an internal tank capacity of no more than 2ml, and the level of nicotine contained in the vaping fluid should not exceed 20mg/ml (or 2 per cent).
"As with tobacco products, these items are required to display certain health warnings and every such device, and the liquid it contains, should be registered with the MHRA (Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency) prior to being released onto the market," the council stated.
Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said, “This joint operation shows just how important it is to work together. Multi-agency operations such as these are keeping these products, that do not meet safety standards and are putting lives at risk, off the streets.
“We know illicit and fake cigarettes do not comply with the Reduced Ignition Propensity requirements and won’t self-extinguish, so are likely to start a fire.
“When you buy these products, you could be putting your own health at risk. Not only has no duty been paid on them but they’ve not been tested to ensure they’re safe.”
Speaking about quitting smoking, Councillor Stan Shreeve, Portfolio Holder for Heath, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said, “I urge smokers in our region to use the support services on offer to help them to quit smoking.
“We have so many examples of people turning their lives around completely after quitting smoking with support from the Wellbeing Team, and you only have to look at the figures released today to see what a positive impact that could have for everyone.”
