‘DODGY’ cigarettes and vapes worth £17,000 have been seized from shops in Rugby.
Last weekend, Rugby Police officers – in collaboration with Trading Standards and Rugby Borough Council – took part in a crackdown on the sale of potentially dangerous counterfeit products in the town.
They confiscated the products from six premises which had been flagged by the public.
The force’s Safer Neighbourhood Team also interacted with 90 businesses and over 300 members of the public to spread the message about illegal products.
A Rugby Police spokesperson said: “Many people have been telling us they are worried about small shops selling dodgy cigarettes and vapes.
“We worked with our friends at Warwickshire Trading Standards and the borough licensing team to have a bit of a nosy. Some people’s plans to sell counterfeit and dangerous goods have gone up in smoke.
“Many counterfeit cigarettes and vapes contain very dangerous chemicals. We have recently had a report of young people in our town getting ill after smoking illegal vapes.
“We make absolutely no apology for taking these items off the streets.”
Visit www.warwickshire.police.uk/contact to report suspicious activity.
