Thousands of illegal cigarettes, vapes seized from Southend c-stores

Thousands of illegal cigarettes, vapes seized from Southend c-stores Thousands of illegal cigarettes, 10 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco and over 1,000 illegal disposable vapes have been seized during raids on three convenience stores in Southend. Southend-on-Sea City Council\'s Trading Standards team, supported by specialist detection dogs, uncovered the illicit products hidden in cavity walls and ceiling voids. In total, officers seized more than 30,000 cigarettes, 10 kilos of tobacco and 1,000 non-compliant vapes. The sale of such products is not only dangerous to public health but is known to fund organised crime. These illicit products, often counterfeit, pose a greater health risk than legitimate products, due to the presence of harmful substances and they also evade UK duties. ome of the vaping devices advertised a capacity of up to 18,000 puffs. These devices will vastly exceed UK legal limits on nicotine strength and tank size. Alarmingly, these dangerous products have been sold to children.