Redditch vape shops temporarily shut down after 'illegal sales'

Two vape shops in Redditch have been temporarily shut down after investigators discovered they were selling illegal products. Redditch Mini Market and Romanian Magazim received closure orders and must now cease trading for three months.

Officers from Worcestershire Trading Standards and Redditch District Councils used test purchasing and trained tobacco dogs to prove the shops were selling illicit tobacco and vape products. Since the start of the operation - supported by West Mercia Police - more than £100,000 of illegal tobacco products and nearly £6,000 of illegal vapes have been seized from scores of sites.

The shops, on Market Street and Alcester Street, received notice to close following court hearings on Monday, December 9. Coun Karen May, Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “Trading Standards officers and West Mercia Police have previously found a small number of shops across Bromsgrove and Redditch where multiple seizures of illicit tobacco and illegal vapes products had taken place.

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“We needed to take these steps and ensure they are stopped from selling these products in the future and protect residents from harmful products.”

Coun Monica Stringfellow, portfolio holder for community services and regulatory services for Redditch Borough Council, said: “These premises have put our residents’ health at risk and increased the risk of young people accessing age-restricted products. We will not tolerate this.”

The crackdown was funded by Worcestershire County Council, Redditch and Bromsgrove councils and Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion. He said: “I am committed to making communities a safer place for all. This latest success in the fight against harmful illegal tobacco and vapes is a great example of what we can achieve together.

“It’s important rogue retailers who sell illegal tobacco products, including to those who are underage, are unable to profit from illegal activity.

“By supporting the councils, through the Safer Worcestershire partnership, trading standards and district legal colleagues will have the resources they need to pursue these lawbreakers through this form of legal process.” Sgt Dave Roberts said: “Working with our partners we are pleased to get these closure orders at premises in the town centre who have persistently stocked and sold illegal cigarettes and vapes on the black market

“The profits from such criminal enterprises are linked to organised crime groups so taking them off the streets has not only protected the public from unregulated products but also disrupted a wider network of criminal activity that can include the exploitation of vulnerable people.

“Furthermore, nearby retailers selling legitimate tobacco products and vapes have reported to Trading Standards their sales of these items and associated ad hoc sales of other goods are down as much as £500 to £3,000 a week in the past two years.” The shops had been flagged as a source of illegal tobacco products since the first seizures occurred in March 2022.

If you are concerned about a shop or the products it is selling, more information is available from Worcestershire Trading Standards online www.worcestershire.gov.uk/tradingstandards