£14K of Illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes seized in Wakefield and Castleford

Unannounced visits were made to a number of shops across the district, including two in Wakefield city centre and one in Airedale.

Officers visited premises which had previously been reported to be making illegal/counterfeit sales of cigarettes and tobacco, for cut prices.

Officers also made checks on vapes in the premises to ensure all products being made to customers met legal requirements.

In one shop in the Kirkgate area, officers found 50 packets of illegal cigarettes along with 14 packs of illegal tobacco, all found hidden in the store room.

In the second shop, also in the Kirkgate area, officers discovered a large number of illegal cigarettes and tobacco - roughly estimated at around 2,000 packs of cigarettes and a large number of illegal tobacco, which had a street value in excess of £12,000.

The shop in Airedale had come to the attention of the police and licensing authority for sales of illegal cigarettes and selling vapes to under 18s.

The shop had recently surrendered its premises licence to avoid being taken by way of the review process, but officers said it was 'quite obvious' that the illegal activities had continued at the shop.

On the day, Trading Stanards found a small number of illegal cigarettes being made available for sale at reduced prices in the shop, but also seized a 200 illegal vapes with an estimated street value of around £1,500.

The joint operation uncovered around £14,000 of illegal products, which will now be subject to further actions by Trading Standards, with a potential number of prosecutions being pursued by the authority.

Anyone with information regarding the illicit tobacco and Vape trade is asked to contact us via 101 or online at Report it | West Yorkshire Police or contact West Yorkshire Trading Standards direct.

Coun Maureen Cummings, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Communities and Poverty, said: “We are pleased at the outcome of this joint day of action.

“The sale of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes will not be tolerated, as they encourage people to smoke.

“Children are often targeted by sellers making it easier for them to take up the habit of vaping and smoking.

“The temptation of buying cheap smoking products makes it even harder for those who want to quit smoking to do so.

“I’d like to thank the public for reporting premises that they suspected of selling illegal or counterfeit products.

“Their vigilance is important in enabling the Council and the Police to end this practice. If you have any suspicions about a retailer please get in touch”

Anyone with information regarding the illicit tobacco and Vape trade is asked to contact the Police via 101 or online at Report it | West Yorkshire Police or contact West Yorkshire Trading Standards on 03454 04 05 06.