£126,000 of illegal tobacco taken off the streets in latest Trading Standards swoop

A total of sixteen shops have been raided across the West Midlands as part a joint trading standards and police investigation into illegal cigarettes and immigration crime.

Trading Standards officers from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council, Worcestershire County Council - as well Staffordshire Police and the Welsh Regional Investigation Team - raided the premises in a coordinated operation on Thursday 18 September.

The work is part of Operation Cece – a national operation with HMRC and National Trading Standards to tackle illegal tobacco.

The raids followed several test purchases which had taken place at each shop and showed they were selling counterfeit cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco.

Across North Staffordshire over 175,000 cigarettes were seized, with the total haul having an estimated retail value of £126,000.  In Stoke-on-Trent, officers seized 8,500 packs of cigarettes, 30kg of hand rolling tobacco and 600 vapes from five shops across the city.

Police officers were on hand on to advise anybody at the premises who may have been a victim of modern slavery.

Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “This was a successful joint operation, and I would like to thank all authorities that were involved.

“Trading Standards teams across the region work hard to remove illegal tobacco off our streets to keep everybody safe and ensure legal businesses are not being undermined.

“This work is part of the council’s commitment to creating a cleaner, greener and safer city. The message is clear: anyone who chooses to sell illegal products will face serious consequences.”

Detective Constable, Jaymie Franklin, from Staffordshire Police’s modern slavery and human trafficking team, said: “Alongside local neighbourhood officers, we engaged with people found at each venue to establish whether they are victims of exploitation.

“They were given safeguarding advice and encouraged to contact us if they feel that they, or another person, is a victim.

“Modern slavery is a vile form of exploitation that is unfortunately prevalent throughout society. Many victims are hesitant to come forward due to fear of repercussions, or distrust of the police, which is instilled in them by their exploiters.

“Joint operations like this enable us to reach out to victims to give them an opportunity to escape their abusers as we work to gain their trust.

“We remain committed to safeguarding victims of modern slavery and would encourage anybody that has information that relates to such criminality to come forward.”

Anthony Screen, cabinet member for Community Safety and Resilience at Staffordshire County Council, said: “We will not tolerate the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes in our communities. These products not only undermine legitimate businesses but pose serious health risks—especially to young people. Our enforcement teams are actively cracking down on rogue traders, and anyone caught selling these items will face the full force of the law, including prosecution and closure.

“The sale of illicit tobacco and vapes is not a victimless crime. It fuels organised criminal networks and undermines the safety of our streets. Every illegal product taken off the shelves is a blow to those who profit from exploiting the public.”

Anyone with concerns about illegal tobacco, vapes and underage sales can contact Trading Standards on the hotline at 01782 238884 or visit www.stoke.gov.uk/tradingstandards