They are estimated to have had a combined street value of almost £30,000
The haul of counterfeit cigarettes found in a Grimsby shop(Image: North East Lincolnshire Council)
An enormous haul of illicit tobacco, vapes and cigarettes was found inside a Grimsby shop. The store in Freeman Street was searched by officers from Humberside Police and North East Lincolnshire Council‘s Trading Standards team.
Inside they discovered 313 pouches of illicit tobacco, 348 vapes and 93,120 illegal cigarettes. The search came after information was received suggesting the empty shop was being used as a storage area for the illegal products.
At this time, nobody has been arrested in connection with the raid and investigations are continuing. Trading Standards and the police carry out these warrants across various shops as part of Operation Cece, a nationwide effort to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco products.
The council says the legitimate value of the tobacco products found in the Freeman Street store 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 £3,500.
“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 at North East Lincolnshire Council. “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.”
By law, vapes must 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). 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.
Meanwhile, each 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.
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.”
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.”
To report the sale of illicit tobacco products, email trading.standards@nelincs.gov.uk or call (01472) 326299, option 3.