Thousands of vapes and counterfeit cigarettes worth £1m seized in Erdington

Thousands of illegal vapes and counterfeit and unlicensed drugs worth £1million have been seized on Monday by police and trading standards officers in a raid on Erdington High Street.

In one of the biggest seizures of its kind in the city, a total of 7,545 vapes were recovered, along with 134kg of tobacco and 329,740 cigarettes.

In addition, more than 300 boxes of imported prescription drugs – which have not been cleared for use in the UK – were recovered, along with £1,000 cash.

Items were found hidden behind a fake wall in the shop as well as in a flat protected by a metal door.

A number of people were spoken to about the recoveries at the shop and investigations continue, West Midlands Police said.

The total value of the recoveries from Monday’s raid is believed to be around £1m.

“This was great working between partners to disrupt the supply of illegal goods in Erdington,” Det Insp Tom Lyons said.

“Counterfeit and illicit tobacco can be dangerous, as can imported prescription drugs which are not cleared for use in the UK.

“We are committed to working with Birmingham City Council’s Trading Standards team, HMRC and other partners to prevent harm to communities in whatever form it takes.”

Cllr Sam Forsyth, chair of licensing and public protection committee, added: “This latest seizure demonstrates the continued efforts by all partners to remove dangerous and illicit goods, so they no longer pose a threat within our communities.

“This positive outcome is another step in the right direction towards targeting organised crime groups and we will continue working in partnership with West Midlands Police to protect the public.”