Hundreds of illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized in Coventry. Officers swooped on a city-based shop yesterday (January 7).
Cops were joined by Trading Standards when they raided the Coventry shop, which has not been named. Officers were tipped off that they had been selling illegal vapes and cigarettes to underage children, Henley and Longford Police said on X.
Items being sold illegally were seized. Police said they will be taking ‘appropriate action’ against the shop, which has been reported to Coventry City Council.
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On Tuesday, Henley and Longford Police said on X: “Today, the team have been on a joint visit with our colleagues at Trading Standards. We attended a shop believed to be selling illegal vapes and cigarettes and believed to be selling to underage children. Items seized, and appropriate action will be taken.”
Japan Tobacco International (JTI) recently uncovered the widespread availability of illicit tobacco and vapes in the city, with 32 stores found to be selling illegal products, as reported by CoventryLive. Counterfeit Amber Leaf, which usually costs around £38, was being sold for just £4.
Shops on Foleshill Road, Walsgrave Road, and Clay Lane were among those selling cut-priced illegal cigarettes, JTI uncovered. Vapes exceeding the legal limits in the UK were also found and reported to Trading Standards.
Of the 32 Coventry shops selling illegal products, they were all found to have illicit tobacco available, while 13 also had illegal vapes on offer with significantly higher puff counts than would be achieved with the legal limit of 2ml. One boasted of having a puff count of 25,000.
Ian Howell, Public Affairs Manager at JTI UK, said: “Years of escalating duties and underfunded enforcement have fuelled a black market in tobacco, with our data indicating that 30 per cent of cigarettes and nearly half of all roll-your-own tobacco is now non-UK duty paid.
“A very real concern is that the proposed generational ban will only exacerbate a problem which is already at risk of getting out of control. By giving illegal operators an even greater customer base over law-abiding businesses, it risks inviting further criminal activity into our communities.”
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