Illegal tobacco, vapes and cash seized

Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service (HOTSWTS) took part in a major operation to disrupt the sale of illegal tobacco across the region.

During Thursday and Friday trading standards, supported by Devon and Cornwall Police, visited six retailers, four in Torquay and two in Exeter.

Using specifically trained sniffer dogs, Cooper, Griff and Bran and illegal cash detection dog Maggie, illegal tobacco products were seized at all six premises, including illegal vapes at two and cash at two.

Illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes with a selling on value of more than £16,000 were seized in total.

This includes 443 pouches (21.83kg) of tobacco valued at £5316, 1029 packets (20580 cigarettes) valued at £7408 and 266 illegal vapes, with a selling on value of £3990.

Officers also discovered several sophisticated attempts to conceal the stashes including fake walls and a fake fridge with a hydraulic opening mechanism.  

The seizures were all part of a nationally funded, coordinated Illegal tobacco disruption operation called Operation CeCe which saw Local Authorities across the South West, including Bristol, Gloucestershire and Dorset also carry out similar operations. 

Ben Hayes is the regional illegal tobacco and vape lead in the South West. He co-ordinates OpCeCe work and provides additional support and expertise to local trading standards teams.

He said: “This has been another successful multi-agency operation to tackle illegal tobacco disruption, and the criminals who operate in our communities.

“Members of public need to be aware of serious criminal association that these products have to criminal gangs. 

“I urge anyone with concerns about sales of the illegal tobacco and vaping products, including their underage sales, to report them to Trading Standards South West www.tssw.org.uk/report-it you may have the missing piece of information that we need to disrupt serious and organised crime.“  

Sales of illegal tobacco and/or vapes can be reported anonymously to the Trading Standards South West team at www.tssw.org.uk/report-it or by calling the Citizens Advice consumer advice line on 0808 223 1133.