On 24 June Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Trading Standards led a multi-agency operation alongside Cambridgeshire Constabulary and HMRC to crack down on the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes in East Cambs.
Inspections took place in Ely, Soham, and Littleport, leading to the seizure of 32,040 cigarettes, 8.8kg of hand rolling tobacco and over 3000 illegal vapes from three separate premises. Officers were assisted by Wagtail dogs trained to detect tobacco.
This is part of an ongoing multi-agency enforcement across the county to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco and nicotine products. Over the last two years, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Trading Standards has seized in the region of 13,000 illegal vapes and more than 100,000 illegal cigarettes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Products seized include vapes with oversized tanks and incorrect labelling, as well as vapes not notified to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, either of which means the vapes are not legal for sale in the UK. Also seized were tobacco products without the correct warnings and labelling in English.
Peter Gell, Service Director, Regulatory Services for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “These ongoing, targeted enforcement operations send a clear message to the organised crime gangs that the sale of illegal tobacco and nicotine products will not be tolerated in Cambridgeshire, and that Trading Standards, the Police and HMRC are committed to taking a hard line with anyone we uncover perpetrating these crimes.
The level of intelligence we receive from the public is indicative of local feeling towards these crimes. People don’t want these crimes being committed in their local communities, and we will continue to tackle it on their behalf.
If you would like to share intelligence or even suspicions on any such criminal activity, you can report it online, anonymously if you wish, at www.keep-it-out.co.uk. The website also contains extensive information on how to spot illegal tobacco and nicotine products. Alternatively, if you’d rather speak to someone, you can contact Trading Standard’s advice partner, the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, on 0808 223 1133 Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm, remaining anonymous if you wish.”
East Cambridgeshire Neighbourhood Sergeant Mat Lupton-Pike said: “We work hard to keep our communities safe from harm, and illicit cigarettes, vapes and tobacco pose a serious risk to health as well as fuelling funding for other related criminal activity.
“Collaboration with agencies like this is all part of the ongoing work our neighbourhood policing teams do day in, day out, in response to concerns from the local community.
“We ask the public to continue to report any information or concerns to us. The more information we have, the better a picture we can build, and the more efficient we can be at targeting those causing harm to our communities.”
