A store in Calne was closed after a raid revealed illegal tobacco sales and unsafe products for children
Calne: Smoke City was raided by Wiltshire Police and Trading Standards in December. They got complaints about illegal tobacco sales and products aimed at kids.
During the raid, officers found 92 illegal vapes, 345 packs of cigarettes, and 87 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco. All of it was non-compliant.
They also seized £3055 in cash from a rucksack under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
On January 24, the shop received a three-month closure order from Swindon Magistrates Court. Only residents and authorized people can enter during this time.
If anyone else is found inside, they could face imprisonment or fines.
Smoke City opened in November 2024 and is the sixth store shut down for similar issues in Wiltshire in the last six months.
Three other businesses in Chippenham, Melksham, and Devizes were also closed for three months back in December.
Interestingly, an employee at Smoke City was recognized as a former worker from one of those closed stores.
They even found paperwork related to that previous closure on-site.
Cllr Dominic Muns, the cabinet member for the environment, praised the Trading Standards officers for their hard work in achieving this result.
He also thanked Wiltshire Police for their support in keeping the public safe from these unscrupulous traders.
Cllr Muns noted that businesses selling illegal tobacco and non-compliant vapes show little concern for their customers’ health.
He explained that illegal tobacco isn’t regulated and often contains harmful substances and chemicals that aren’t allowed in regular tobacco.
Sgt Mike Tripp from Wiltshire Police emphasized their commitment to tackling businesses that jeopardize public health by selling unsafe tobacco and vapes.
He reminded everyone that the laws are in place for a reason, as illicit products can contain dangerous levels of nicotine and unknown chemicals.
Tripp expressed gratitude to Trading Standards for their collaboration and assured that they will keep working together to ensure public safety.
