Recently, Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Trading Standards and the police in the United Kingdom conducted a joint operation to take enforcement measures against illegal vapes and tobacco products. The operation resulted in the confiscation of a large number of illegal products and the closure of one offending store. In addition, a similar operation was carried out in Hertfordshire with the aim of combating the supply of illegal tobacco and vapes and protecting community safety and the interests of legitimate businesses.
Core Watch:
- ENFORCEMENT ACTION: A joint operation by Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Trading Standards and the police to tackle illegal vapes and tobacco products in the UK.
- Outcome: Confiscation of large quantities of illegal products, closure of offending stores, application for premises closure orders and revocation of their licenses.
- Background: The trade in illicit tobacco and vapes hurts community safety, the health of young people and legitimate businesses.
- FOLLOW-UP: A similar operation in Hertfordshire to further combat the supply of illegal products and protect the interests of residents and legitimate businesses.
West Yorkshire and Hertfordshire crack down on illegal vapes in UK
As reported by Talking Retail on July 18, the police licensing team and, community policing team. Leeds City Council (UK) and West Yorkshire Trading Standards took action against Dana Local.
They confiscated a quantity of illegal vapes as well as illegal cigarettes hidden behind a false wall.
The city council applied for a premises closure order, which was granted in court last week, and the store’s license was revoked.
The work was part of Leeds and West Yorkshire’s Safer Streets initiative for the summer.
In a separate initiative, last week, Trading Standards led a joint multi-agency operation with the assistance of specialist detection dogs as part of Operation CeCe to tackle illicit tobacco and illicit vapes.
The operation took place in Watford, Bushey, Stevenage, Royston and Hatfield in Hertfordshire, to tackle and disrupt the supply of illicit tobacco and vapes in the county.
Tobacco and illegal vapes were found and confiscated during the operation, some of which were hidden in complex hideaways.
FOLLOW-UP
Allison Wren, Deputy Executive Member for Public Health and Community Safety for Hertfordshire, said:
- “This operation shows that we will take the necessary steps to crack down on businesses selling these products. We must protect residents from the risk of illegal vapes and illicit tobacco products, disrupt their distribution channels and hold sellers to account. If any merchant has questions about the regulations and their responsibilities, our Trading Standards team can provide advice and support to help them operate safely and legally.”
Lord Michael Bichard, Chairman of National Trading Standards, said:
- “The illicit tobacco trade is driven by organized criminal gangs and poses a serious risk to local communities, particularly young people. Since its launch in January 2021, Operation Ceci – an initiative of National Trading Standards in partnership with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – has removed 69 million illicit cigarettes from the market, 19,750 kilograms of hand-cigarette tobacco and nearly 175 kilograms of hookah products, helping to combat the illicit trade and protect communities and law-abiding businesses across the UK.”
