The Kent County Council's Trade Standards team conducted a series of surprise raids on shops in the Canterbury area, resulting in the seizure of nearly 800 illegal e-cigarette-related products. Among them were 755 illegal e-cigarettes, either exceeding legal dimensions or being illegally supplied in the UK. Enforcement officers also confiscated 105 potentially unsafe electrical products and 5148 counterfeit goods infringing on trademark rights.
Clive Phillips, leader of the trade standards group at KCC, stated: "These visits send a clear message that illegal products will be removed from the market to ensure a fair trade environment in Kent. We are aware that in times of financial crisis, people may want to save money, but the products seized today are unsafe and may fund organized criminal activities.
The Trading Standards uses intelligence gathered from retail visits, such as those conducted today, to identify points of entry for illegal goods into the UK. This information helped seize over 16,000 illicit e-cigarette devices last week at Dover Port.
PC Jim Gall from the Canterbury Community Safety Unit added, "Illegal tobacco and e-cigarette products that do not meet UK standards pose a potential danger to the public and negatively impact law-abiding businesses. The source and profit of counterfeit products are also problematic. For these reasons, the Kent Police will continue to work with partner agencies to monitor sales in our towns and city centers and take action to protect residents' safety.
During another visit conducted by Trading Standards in Canterbury, 1,560 illegal cigarettes and over one kilogram of hand-rolled tobacco were seized because they were found to be counterfeit or did not have the appropriate health warnings for the UK.
Michael Bichard, the Chair of the National Trading Standards Board, has stated that illicit tobacco trade harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating legally. Through cooperation with HM Revenue and Customs, the National Trading Standards initiative has successfully removed 21 million illegal cigarettes, 5,800 kilograms of hand-rolled tobacco, and nearly 175 kilograms of waterpipe tobacco from sale, continuing to disrupt this illegal trade.
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