More than £50,000 worth of suspected illegal vapes seized in North Tyneside

More than £50,000 worth of suspected illegal vapes have been seized from two addresses in North Tyneside.

More than 3,000 of the suspected illegal vapes were discovered by officers from Northumbria Police and North Tyneside Council’s trading standards team during a search of the addresses in Burdon Street, Percy Main, on 3 August.

Searches of the addresses also recovered almost £32,000 in cash which was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Investigations are ongoing at this time.

Following the seizures, Sergeant James Younas said: “Counterfeit vapes pose a real danger to people as they are not produced by licensed companies and contain unknown quantities of chemicals, making them even more harmful than those which are regulated.

“People might think, just because they may be cheaper, that it’s alright to buy them and take that risk. But what they don’t see is that the money used from the sale of these items may be used to fund organised crime and further illicit activity.“As a force, we are committed to tackling serious and organised crime and will continue to pursue those involved in illegal activities, as well as protecting the public from the potentially harmful effects of this type of criminality.”

Councillor Karen Clark, cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, said: “This collective effort underscores our dedication to ensuring public safety and reducing the risks posed by the sale of counterfeit goods."

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