Seizure success for East Ayrshire Trading Standards
Officers from the Trading Standards Service helped tackle counterfeit crime with the recent seizure of a large quantity of tobacco and vaping products from an East Ayrshire shop.
Acting on intelligence, Officers uncovered a hidden stock of illicit products including over 20,000 cigarettes, almost 6kg of tobacco and over 100 disposable vapes.
“This is another victory in the ongoing fight against fake and potentially harmful products waged by our Trading Standards officers” explains Councillor Neal Ingram, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Community Safety, East Ayrshire Council.
“The sale of counterfeit tobacco poses many risks to users and the community. Our Trading Standards Team is committed to protecting consumers from potentially harmful products like this fake tobacco. Its sale not only risks the health of those who use it, it creates illegal income for organised crime organisations and it cheats the treasury of thousands of pounds in unpaid duty, creating an unfair trading environment for other decent traders, who invest in legitimate stock who are often struggling to compete in this difficult economic climate.
“For smokers, fake tobacco can be much more harmful than regulated products, they can contain all sorts of toxins. It's not always easy to tell if tobacco and smoking products are fake, however if they're in branded packets rather than the standardised packaging (see picture above) and if they're being offered much more cheaply, there's a high chance it's counterfeit.
"In this instance our officers were able to put a stop to this illegal activity thanks to the vigilance of the public and we’d urge everyone to take care that they’re using legitimate tobacco and report any suspicions to our Trading Standards team.”