Over £100000-worth of fake cigarettes and vapes found in Stoke-on-Trent

Police officers found them in a flat search

Officers found an estimated £116000 of counterfeit goods.
Author: Natalia AntoniwPublished 8th Sep 2025

Over £100000-worth of counterfeit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes were found and seized after police officers searched a flat in Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire police say two Police Community Support Officers searched three men who were acting suspiciously around Market Street Longton.

After finding illicit cigarettes on them, a flat in the area was searched and they found an estimated £116000 of counterfeit goods.

A Staffordshire police spokesperson said officers seized: "5,525 packets of illicit cigarettes, worth an estimated £94,000; 906 packets of illicit tobacco, worth an estimated £18,000; and 484 illegal vapes, worth an estimated £4,000."

Inspector Rebecca Price, from the Stoke-on-Trent south local policing team (LPT), said: “We are committed to tackling the trade of illicit and illegal goods in Stoke-on-Trent.

“These items are often used by organised crime groups to fund criminal activity and can pose serious health risks to local communities.”

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