£5,000 of illegal vapes and tobacco sniffed out and seized

Council and police officers visited a business in Clifton, York last week, where nearly £5,000 of noncompliant vapes and illicit tobacco was found and seized.

The illegal items found and taken have an estimated retail value of £4,941.25:

• 177 noncompliant vapes with a retail value of £2,124
• 2,250 counterfeit and illicit cigarettes valued at £731
• 1,450g of counterfeit and illicit hand rolling tobacco valued at £2,086.

These products will be investigated and appropriate legal action taken. The officers had the help of a sniffer dog, a spaniel called Mostyn.

Cllr Jenny Kent, Executive Member with portfolio for Trading Standards at City of York Council, said: “Tobacco kills hundreds of people in York every year, and the illicit market in tobacco and vapes makes harmful products cheaper and more easily available, especially to those below the legal age limit.  

“Illicit vapes are becoming much more prevalent and are partly responsible for the rise in young people vaping – our public health advice is that while we support e-cigarettes as effective quit aids for adults to stop smoking, people who don’t smoke shouldn’t vape.

“This is why it is so important that you report concerns. Information from members of the public, investigation, and action by Council and police officers is essential to protect public health and enforce proper regulations.”

Sergeant Stuart Henderson of North Yorkshire Police, said: “This is the result of joint working with our Trading Standards colleagues at City of York Council. It is the second successful operation that we have conducted with Trading Standards in Clifton as part of our Clear, Hold Build initiative.

“The work shows we will work with all our law enforcement partners to disrupt and deter criminality and to make Clifton and the City of York no place for criminals.”

How to spot an illegal vape:

Check the packaging for the following tell-tale signs that a disposable vape may be illegal:

• The health warning should have these exact words: ‘This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance’ and should cover 1/3rd of the front and rear of the packaging
• A ‘puff count’ of over 600 – illegal vapes may have higher puff counts
• A pod or refill should be no larger than 10ml
• A tank should have no more than 2ml, or multiple 2ml ‘pods’.
• A nicotine content above 2 per cent (or 20mg/ml)
• No UK address for an importer/manufacturer.

Anyone concerned about unregulated vapes or tobacco being sold can contact:

• City of York Council’s Trading Standards team on 08082 231133 or email: public.protection@york.gov.uk 
• Or, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and pass information to the Force Control Room.
• If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For support to stop smoking, please visit www.york.gov.uk/CYCHealthTrainers or email cychealthtrainers@york.gov.uk for an appointment.