Police seizes £30,000 worth of illegal vapes, cigarettes seized from Rotherham store

Authorities have seized more than £30,000 worth of suspected counterfeit and unfit-for-sale vapes and cigarettes from a shop in Rotherham last week following a joint operation by South Yorkshire Police and trading standards officers.

As informed by South Yorkshire Police on Wednesday (19), the raid on Feb 13 was launched in response to intelligence from residents and local businesses, who had raised concerns about anti-social behaviour linked to the store.

The store has not been identified by the authorities.

During the inspection, officers uncovered £28,000 worth of counterfeit vapes, vape liquids, and cartridges, along with over 150 packs of illegal cigarettes valued at approximately £1,400. The operation forms part of an ongoing crackdown on the sale of illicit tobacco and vape products in the region.

Rotherham South NPT Inspector Darren Birley said, “Not only do these vapes undercut legitimate businesses, but they also pose a serious risk to people’s health. It isn’t uncommon for these counterfeit products to find their way into the hands of children.

“This is a great piece of work which continues to highlight how important our ongoing work with Rotherham Council is to ensure the safety of our local communities."

Rotherham Council’s Assistant Director of Community Safety and Street Scene, Sam Barstow said, "We are committed to keeping people safe from harm across the borough. This operation is another example of the close partnership working between Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police.

"Joint operations of this nature to tackle illegal tobacco and vape products have resulted in over £639,000 worth of illicit items being removed from sale.”

Earlier this month, almost 10,000 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes and other tobacco and nicotine-based products have been seized from multiple stores in Oxfordshire.

As reported by Oxfordshire County Council, the raids, carried out on Jan 21, were part of Operation CeCe, a national initiative to tackle the sale and supply of illegal tobacco products.

Premises involved included off-licences, convenience stores, food retailers and barbers in Banbury, Kidlington and Oxford, the council stated.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 9,340 illegal cigarettes, 700g of counterfeit hand rolling tobacco, 180 unit packs of non-compliant nicotine pouches and 42 disposable electronic cigarettes, or vapes, with a capacity of nicotine containing liquid nine times the maximum allowed.