Blaenau Gwent Council’s Trading Standards and Trading Standards Wales’s Regional Tobacco Enforcement Team have been carrying out joint operations into illegal products in the county borough. In the past two months a total of 456 vapes, 4,280 cigarettes, and 2,650 grams of hand rolling tobacco have been seized. These products are often cunningly concealed in hidden locations around a shop, including inside an empty fire extinguisher and hydraulic wall concealments.
Councillor Tommy Smith, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood and Environment Services, says:
“Counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco can be potentially dangerous to health as controls governing their production may be lacking, and critical warnings of the health risks may be missing from packaging. Worryingly, these illegal products often end up in the hands of children as criminals who sell them aren’t concerned about age verification such as asking for ID.
“The sale of counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime, and officers will continue to clamp down on the sellers of these illegal products. We’re committed to supporting the local economy and Trading Standards Officers will continue to work to ensure all businesses can operate on a level playing field.”
Trading Standards Officers are warning that illegal tobacco and vapes challenge efforts to reduce smoking rates and health inequalities by undermining price control and smoking cessation strategies, making it more difficult for existing smokers to quit. Furthermore, these criminal activities allow younger people to get access to nicotine containing products, which could have a detrimental impact on children’s developing brains and lungs and may result in them developing a life-long addiction.
Anyone found guilty of trading in illicit tobacco or illegal vapes could face a range of sanctions, including confiscation of illicit goods, fines, closure orders, or imprisonment.
