The discovery of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes in a working drain has prompted Darlington Borough Council Trading Standards to urge the public to think about the health and hygiene implications of purchasing illicit goods.
On a coordinated day of action last week as part of Operation CeCe – a National Trading Standards and HMRC initiative to tackle illegal tobacco – Officers from Darlington Borough Council Trading Standards and Durham Police visited premises believed to be selling illegal vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
BWY Canine detection dogs Maggie and Bran with some of the seized items (image credit: Darlington Borough Council)
Specialist tobacco detection dogs supplied by BWY Canine sniffed out illegal goods at several premises, including a stash concealed in a drain.
Shaun Trevor, Darlington Borough Council’s Trading Standards and Animal Health Manager, said: “Clearly hygiene is not a top priority for these traders who flout the law selling illegal vapes and cigarettes without a care for the age of the purchaser.
“A person purchasing these goods at cheap prices would not suspect that they were being stored in such unhygienic conditions.”
The raids followed an intelligence-gathering exercise on 25 June in which 10 out of 12 Darlington shops were found to be selling illegal goods.
Last week a total of 294 packs of cigarettes, 52 packs of tobacco and 420 illegal vapes were seized. Many of the vapes contained between 9,000 and 10,000 puffs – far in excess of the legal maximum of around 600 puffs.
Some of the retailers were found to be using highly sophisticated concealments to store the goods.
Councillor Amanda Riley, Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, said: “Our zero-tolerance approach is paying dividends, and we will continue to work with Durham Police and other partners to target those who sell these illegal products in Darlington.
“I would encourage residents to report any concerns about suspected illegal products to our trading standards team who take all complaints seriously and will investigate and take action where appropriate.”
Inspector Jim O’Connor, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, added: “Illicit and dangerous tobacco and vapes can not only cause serious harm to people’s health, but the proceeds are often invested into organised crime and can help fund more serious and violent offences.
“Supplying these products to underage children can also open them up to potential exploitation and criminality – if you are doing this, then you can expect a visit from us.
“We know that our communities will not tolerate the antisocial behaviour and criminality that these activities bring. If you have any information regarding potential criminality in your community then please report it to us – we will always act on intelligence submitted to us, as these closure orders have shown.”
The visits were undertaken as part of Operation Cece, a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC to tackle illegal tobacco.
NTS Chair, Lord Michael Bichard, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. Having removed 27 million illegal cigarettes, 7,500kg of hand rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, the National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”
