Illegal vapes seized  from four shops in Fenland

Almost 1,500 illegal vapes were seized from four shops in Chatteris and March in a multi-agency operation last week.

The raids, involving Trading Standards, Fenland District Council’s Licensing Team and HMRC, followed an influx of intelligence from members of the public to Fenland District Council and Trading Standards.

Earlier in the year, raids in Ely, Littleport and Ramsey, lead to the seizure of 5,000 illegal vapes.

Cambridgeshire County Council said these raids are part of ongoing multi-agency enforcement to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco and nicotine products.

In 2023, Trading Standards seized 8,800 vapes, over 26,000 illicit cigarettes and 38 packs of hand rolling tobacco in Cambridgeshire. Earlier this month three quarters of a tonne of illegal vapes which had been seized by Trading Standards were sent to a dedicated recycling facility.

Issues include vapes with tank sizes that are illegal in the UK due to the quantities of liquid they contain and vapes that wrongly state they contain no nicotine.

“These ongoing, targeted enforcement operations send a clear message to the shops that supply these products, and the organised crime gangs behind these crimes, that the sale of illegal vapes won’t be tolerated in Cambridgeshire. We are committed to taking a hard line with anyone we uncover perpetrating these crimes,” Peter Gell, service director for regulatory services at Cambridgeshire County Council, said.

“The level of Intelligence we receive from the public and local law-abiding businesses is also indicative of local feeling towards these crimes. They don’t want these crimes being committed in their local communities, and we will continue to tackle it on their behalf.”