Sandwell Council Trading Standards working alongside Licensing, Police and West Midlands Fire Service continue to seize illegal and dangerous articles around Sandwell.
On one day the teams visited three businesses in Sandwell and seized 3,782 packets of illegal cigarettes, 121 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco and 599 illegal vapes, with a combined retail value in excess of £46,835.
As part of a separate operation as part of Sandwell Council’s Safer 6 campaign, the teams carried out enforcement visits to four shops in Tipton. This resulted in seizures of 574 non-compliant vaping devices, 10 bottles of counterfeit wine and 50 packets of illegal tobacco with a retail value worth in excess £6,000.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for communities, Councillor Danny Millard, said: “These two operations show how seriously we take the issue of dangerous and illegal products throughout Sandwell. Anyone trading in these articles should be on warning that we will continue to track them down and take any actions necessary.”