'Biggest raid in Birmingham' among council's £5.7million crackdown on vapes, cigarettes and drugs
Almost £6million-worth of vapes, tobacco and drugs have been seized as the council and police crackdown on illegal sales harming communities. One raid dubbed the "biggest of its kind in the city" saw a staggering £1million in goods recovered.
The new crackdown, named Operation Cloud, launched last September land has seen items with a street value of nearly £5.7million removed from shops across the city. Birmingham City Council's trading standards team, alongside police, have been raiding businesses in a bid to tackle the "illegal sale of illicit and illegal products."
In one of the properties, items had been hidden behind a fake wall in the shop as well as in a flat protected by a metal door. The council said: "Further to the seizures, eight arrests have been made, and an unlicensed and untaxed vehicle was seized.
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"In total so far, Operation Cloud has removed items to the street value of nearly £5.7 million, with one raid resulting in £1 million-worth of goods seized, the biggest of its kind in the city."
As part of Operation Fearless - the new police drive to reduce crime in Erdington - officers and the council’s trading standards team raided a property in Erdington High Street. There, a huge haul of illegal goods were seized, including 7,545 vapes, 134kg of tobacco, 329,740 single cigarettes and more than 300 boxes of imported prescription drugs – which were "unsafe for use in the UK".
Thousands of pounds were also recovered. In another raided property, officers uncovered two unlicensed, privately rented accommodations, resulting in the landlord being informed of huge fines starting at £30,000. Officers found "significant hazards" in both accommodations, with problems then referred onto the "relevant internal and external agencies to safeguard the tenants," the council added.
The raids come as part of the ongoing efforts of the Council and West Midlands Police to "tackle crime and improve the quality of life for people living and working in Birmingham." Operation Cloud focuses on the sale of vapes and nitrous oxide - a national issue police forces and local authorities are "working together to eradicate."
Since the start of Operation Cloud, the Council has seized thousands of items, including:
10,374 illicit vapes,
236 large bottles of nitrous oxide, plus associated materials,
18,916 packets of cigarettes, equating to 378,320 single cigarettes,
2,730 packets of tobacco,
Class B drugs (seized by Police),
187 packets of oral snuff (unlicensed tobacco related substance) and
Thousands of unlicensed pills.
Earlier this month, West Midlands Police launched the pilot initiative, Operation Fearless, to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Erdington. The new drive aims to work in partnership with the council and others to combat burglary, theft, anti-social behaviour, and drug-related offences.
Communities have already seen an increase in high-visibility patrols, including detectives, response officers, and neighbourhood policing teams, which police say are "available 24/7 to respond to incidents and investigate crimes."
Coun Nicky Brennan, cabinet member for social justice, community safety and equalities, said: “Operation Cloud aims to eradicate the selling and distribution of illicit goods as they blight our communities and pose a dangerous threat to young people.
“It is concerning we are now finding vapes which have a puff count up to 18000-plus, which is considerably over the legal limit, which is 600 puffs for 2mg of nicotine. When young people use illegal vapes, they are putting their long-term health at risk, which we have seen terrible outcomes of in recent months. We will continue working with West Midlands Police to combat illegal sales.”
Sajeela Naseer, director of regulation and enforcement, added: “Our recent activities have shown partnership work at its best. In conjunction with West Midlands Police and Birmingham Property Licensing Team, Trading Standards led on Operation Cloud, where the operation focussed on disrupting a major distribution of illicit harmful goods from organised crime groups in the area.
“The goals of organised crime groups are to generate revenue through illegal trade and not putting the local community welfare and safety first. We will continue to work in synergy with our partners to clamp down on this illicit trade.”
If you wish to make a report, contact the Council’s Trading Standards Team on 0121 303 9360 or the West Midlands Police on 101.