Secret Room Discovered as £70,000 Haul of Illegal Tobacco and Vapes Seized
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Over £70,000 worth of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and disposable vapes have been seized from traders across Walsall.
On Monday 9 February, Walsall Trading Standards, West Midlands Police and a specialist dog team searched six retail premises and seized more than 65,000 cigarettes, 13kg of hand-rolling tobacco and 700 disposable vapes.
All six premises were chosen on the basis of intelligence received by Trading Standards indicating illegal products were being sold. Illegal goods were found in three of the shops visited, including further discoveries made in two associated vehicles.
In one shop, Griff the sniffer dog uncovered a concealed room containing thousands of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and single-use vapes, which were banned in 2025. The carefully hidden storeroom, complete with a sofa and laptop, could only have been detected using a highly trained and skilful sniffer dog such as Griff.
Elsewhere, officers recovered illegal tobacco concealed in unusual locations, including a toilet cistern and a wastepaper bin.
This work forms part of Operation Fearless - a coordinated exercise led by Trading Standards and involving the Police, Public Health and other agencies which aims to crackdown on the illicit tobacco trade.
“ Allowing this sort of crime to go on in Walsall is simply not an option. I want to thank the Trading Standards team, West Midlands Police, and of course Griff, Bran and Cooper for their hard work in sniffing out these products and getting them off our streets.
“Tobacco bought illegally is often linked to organised crime, including human trafficking, drugs and even terrorism.
“Trading Standards have taken a strong approach to this issue and will continue to use every enforcement technique available to disrupt it. I commend them for their tenacity.
“Products like these can lead to anti-social behaviour and damage our community, so removing them is vital. “
Illegal tobacco poses significant risks to public health, as its ingredients are not known or regulated and may contain higher levels of harmful chemicals. As part of Walsall’s Tobacco Control Plan, the council continues to work to reduce tobacco consumption, enhance local regulation and enforcement, prevent residents from starting and enhance stop smoking services to target those in greatest need.
Further investigations are ongoing to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco in Walsall.
ENDS
