Thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes seized

Thousands of illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized during raids at two shops in Birmingham on Monday.

The raids, in Erdington, were a joint operation between West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council's trading standards team.

They came about following intelligence from the local community, and uncovered about £500,000 worth of vapes, cigarettes and tobaccos from a shop on High Street and two cars.

They also found about £250,000 of goods at a shop and vehicle on York Road.

The sale of single-use disposable vapes was banned in England and Wales from 1 June.

Officers said the items seized would now being analysed, adding that the vehicles involved had been seized.

"The items seized today can be dangerous, and the profits made by those involved in their supply can bring further harm to communities," said Det Insp Tom Lyons.

"Intelligence from the community is really valuable, and we would urge anyone with information about goods like these to get in touch with us."

The wider project, codenamed Operation Fearless, began in Erdington in January and recently expanded to the Southside area of Birmingham.

Mohammed Tariq, from Birmingham City Council's trading standards department, said it had seen some "really positive results" so far.

"We're determined to continue working with our partners to protect the community from illicit trade, which we know can often be linked to organised crime," he said.

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