Haul of illegal vapes and tobacco found in raid

Trading standards said it had confiscated one of its biggest hauls in recent years

Hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes have been seized in raids in Derbyshire.

Trading standards officials say the hauls would have had a high street value of £256,000 had they not been confiscated.

Derbyshire County Council said the products were a mixture of counterfeit goods and items smuggled in to avoid duty.

Prosecutions could follow, the council said.

The authority declined to say exactly when and where the raids took place but said they happened in the last two weeks.

More than 1,000 cigarettes, rolling tobacco and more than 280 vapes, worth £6,000, were recovered from a premises in the Erewash area.

Health risk

A larger seizure - of 363,000 cigarettes and 20kg (44lb) of tobacco - worth £250,000 was later made from another location in south Derbyshire.

Council director Chris Henning said: "The latest seizures enforced by trading standards show the supply of illegal products is not tolerated in Derbyshire and action will be taken against those who continually flout the law.

“While compliant vapes are substantially less harmful than smoking, illegal ones can pose health risks as the nicotine content can be far higher than is allowed.

"It is also acknowledged that the selling of cheap illegal tobacco can undermine efforts to help people stop smoking and can be a cheap source for children to start smoking."

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