Over 4,000 illegal vapes seized from two shops in Ely
The operation follows an "influx of intelligence from concerned members of the public"
Over 4,000 illegal vapes have been seized from two shops in Ely in a multi-agency operation involving Trading Standards, Cambridgeshire Police and HMRC.
One shop was found to have 1,340 illegal vapes along with 23,280 illicit cigarettes and 4.65 Kilos of hand rolling tobacco, the other shop was found to have 2,810 illegal vapes. Criminal investigations have commenced.
The operation follows an "influx of intelligence from concerned members of the public."
In 2023, Trading Standards seized 8,801 vapes, over 26,000 illicit cigarettes and 38 packs of hand rolling tobacco in Cambridgeshire.
Issues include vapes with tank sizes that are illegal in the UK due to the quantities of liquid they contain, vapes that wrongly state they contain no nicotine, and cigarettes in packaging that does not comply with UK requirements on labelling and imagery.
It comes as the Government has announced proposals to ban disposable vapes and ensure vapes conform to plainer packaging requirements, tighter restrictions on how these products are displayed and strict limits on flavouring to make them less appealing to children.