313 pouches of illicit tobacco, 348 vapes and 93,120 illegal cigarettes have been seized after being discovered in a Grimsby shop.
Officers from Humberside Police and North East Lincolnshire Council Trading standards team searched a property on Freeman Street following information suggesting that the empty shop was being used to store illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes.
No one has been arrested in connection with the raid and investigations are continuing. The legitimate value of the tobacco products is thought to be around £80,814 with a street value of just over £25,000.
The vapes are believed to have a value of around £3500. Trading Standards and Humberside Police carry out these warrants across various shops as part of Operation Cece, a nationwide effort to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco products.
By law, vapes should have an internal tank capacity of no more than 2ml, and the level of nicotine contained in the vaping fluid should not exceed 20mg/ml (or 2 per cent). Additionally, since June 1 2025, vapes must be refillable, rechargeable and the coil, which heats the liquid to produce the vapour, must also be easily replaceable by the user.
Failure to comply with any one of those requirements would mean the vape is illegal under The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations.
As with tobacco products, these items are required to display certain health warnings and every such device, and the liquid it contains, should be registered with the MHRA (Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency) prior to being released onto the market.
“While it is great to see that we are taking these products off the streets, we understand there is more work to do,” said Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities.
“Operation CeCe and the partnership work with Humberside Police has allowed us to take great steps forward in ensuring these products are less readily available, but that doesn’t mean we stop.
“We know there are more sellers of these products and I want those people to know that our teams will continue with these inspections and to act upon information we receive to ensure the safety of those living in North East Lincolnshire.”
Councillor Stan Shreeve, Portfolio Holder for Health and Adult Social Care, added: “When you buy these products, you could be putting your own health at risk. Not only has no duty been paid on them but they’ve not been tested to ensure they’re safe.
“Additionally, I urge smokers in our region to use the support services on offer to help them to quit smoking.
“We have so many examples of people turning their lives around completely after quitting smoking with support from the Wellbeing Team.”
To report the sale of illicit tobacco products, email [email protected] or call (01472) 326299, option 3. For more information on how to quit smoking, visit https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/health-wellbeing-and-social-care/health-and-wellbeing/stop-smoking/
Humberside Police Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, Pete Musgrave, added: “I hope this latest seizure of counterfeit and illicit products demonstrates our determination to pursue every possible avenue to disrupt those who are involved in this type of criminality.
“Operations such as these are often linked to the funding of organised crime groups, with connections to modern-day slavery and human trafficking.
“These are not victimless crimes and agencies will continue to support one another, acting on information and intelligence that the public provide.”