Latest news with #illegalvapes
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Licence review for Heath Town shop over vapes and alcohol
A shop could lose its licence after being caught with illegal vapes and cigarettes, and selling alcohol without News and Off Licence in Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, will face a review hearing by the council on 6 to the council's records, the shop has not had a named supervisor since 2023 which meant it was not permitted to sell alcohol. The store's licence was also not on display, the council council said current owner, Manjit Singh Dhillon, had told the authority the cigarettes found during a search were duty free and had been bought by his son on holiday, and that his son was in the process of getting a new copy of the licence. A report published ahead of the meeting said the shop's licence had been transferred tor Mr Dhillon in 2019 with Kokila Keshavbhai Patel listed as Mr Patel withdrew consent in 2023 which meant alcohol could not be served from the shop in Heath Town until a new supervisor was council said that officers found the shop's licence was not on display and could not be found by Mr Dhillon during several visits.A report by Wolverhampton trading standards said a licensing officer returned a week after a visit to find alcohol was still on display, despite an earlier another inspection in April, officers found 24 packets of illegal cigarettes and more than 130 oversized review has been pushed by trading standards which has asked the committee to consider revoking the licence when it meets in August. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wolverhampton shop could lose licence over 'gin sting' and 'illegal vapes'
A shop could lose its licence after being caught with illegal vapes and cigarettes and selling alcohol without permission. Bobbies News and Off Licence in Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, will face a review hearing by City of Wolverhampton Council after it was caught breaking the conditions of its alcohol licence. According to the council's records, the off licence, near the city's New Cross Hospital, has not had a named supervisor since 2023 which meant it was not permitted to sell alcohol until one was nominated. READ MORE: First picture of killer who stabbed ex-boyfriend in heart on Christmas Day READ MORE: Killer mum murdered children hours after being sent home by police Duty-free cigarettes and illegal oversized vapes were also found at the shop during searches by council staff. The review has been pushed by Wolverhampton's trading standards who have asked the committee to consider revoking the licence when it meets on August 6. A report published ahead of the meeting said the shops' licence was transferred to current owner Manjit Singh Dhillon in 2019 with Kokila Keshavbhai Patel listed as supervisor. Kokila Keshavbhai Patel withdrew consent in 2023 which meant alcohol could not be served from the shop as a supervisor must be named as part of the shop's licence and the shop has not had a designated supervisor since. The council also said it received a complaint from a customer in July 2024 after a packet of duty-free cigarettes was sold to them at the normal retail price. The council visited the Heath Town shop in April and found its licence was not on display and could not be found by owner Manjit Singh Dhillon. Read more: New plans for late-night Wolverhampton venue after last licence revoked Read more: Desi mixed grill plans for empty listed pub Read more: More spaces to be added to Midlands leisure centre as gym-goers struggle to park Read more: 127-year-old Midlands pub to be demolished for new Lidl parking spaces Read more: 'Seal of approval' for new homes on former Wolverhampton pub site A report by Wolverhampton trading standards said an environmental health officer had visited the shop and said they were 'concerned' by Mr Dhillion 'making a gesture' towards a customer when refusing to sell them cigarettes in front of them. The report goes on to say that a licensing officer returned a week later to find alcohol was still on display, despite the earlier warning. The council officer was then told by a staff member when questioned that the shop did not sell alcohol despite it still being displayed. Another council officer returned to the shop a day later and was able to buy a bottle of gin. Read more: £1m work planned to increase places at Wolverhampton primary school Read more: Aldi coming to city as council sells former care home in £1.5m deal Read more: Decision made on re-opening historic Midlands pub seven years after closing Read more: Wolverhampton Council to write off nearly £2m in debts Read more: Triangle Bar and Grill stripped of licence by Wolverhampton Council after 'various and serious issues' The council said Bobby's News & Off Licence was included in a round of inspections in late April with officers this time finding 24 packets of illegal cigarettes and more than 130 oversized vapes with Mr Dhillon telling the council the cigarettes were duty-free bought by his son on holiday a week earlier. Mr Dhillon had told the council his son Harvinder was in the process of getting a new copy of the licence. The report also said the council received a call from 'Harvey' who wanted his duty-free cigarettes back and his tone was 'confrontational, accusatory and overbearing.' City of Wolverhampton Council's licensing committee meets at the Civic Centre on August 6 to make a decision.
BBC News
7 days ago
- BBC News
Thousands of vapes and cigarettes seized in Grimsby raids
Thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes, hundreds of which were hidden in two loft hatches, have been seized in police products were seized from shops in Grimsby on Wednesday during a Trading Standards and Humberside Police were found placed between machinery and in a wall Ron Shepherd, from North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "We could raid this today and it will be back trading tomorrow, that's how frequent it's happening." In the first shop, sniffer dog Griff discovered illegal vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco hidden in loft dog handler Stuart Philips told the BBC: "They put these concealments up high because they think that the dogs can't detect things high."But the dog was on to it, we hadn't even been in the shop for two minutes." In the same shop, a "considerable quantity" of illegal vapes were found hidden among electric units in the building.A further amount of illegal tobacco products were found in another shop, hidden in a make-shift hatch above a door. A ban on single-use vapes came into force in June and they must now be reusable, refillable and should also have an internal tank capacity of no more than 2ml and the level of nicotine in the vaping fluid should not exceed 20ml, the council's trading standards department products must be registered with the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency prior to being released on to the market, the council added. The authority said the operations were carried out to "stamp out the illegal trade of tobacco products in our borough".Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said the raids had led to "an amazing find"."Keeping these products, that do not meet safety standards and are putting lives at risk, off the streets is our main priority."I hope this acts as a warning to others selling illegal products [that] we will not tolerate it."Ch Insp Alasdair Booth, of Humberside Police, said the operation had been undertaken "in direct response" to "concerns raised by the local community". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
FDA head warns of illegal vaping products from China
An influx of illegal vapes that are appealing to children and teens has been making its way into the U.S. from China, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary warned in an interview Tuesday with ABC News. "[What] we have been doing is laughable," Makary told ABC News' Linsey Davis. Makary said that cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes would be a "top priority" for the agency moving forward. MORE: Inside the crackdown on a flashy new generation of illicit vapes popular with US teens "We're going to start confiscating and seizing. We're going to take this seriously," Makary said. A new generation of products, designed to help teens vape discreetly while attempting to evade parents and teachers, include vaping mechanisms concealed as backpacks, smartphone cases, highlighters and handheld video game consoles, law enforcement officials have told ABC News. "There is no approved vaping product in the United States that has a video game," Marty said while holding an illicit vape. "There is not an approved vaping product in the United States that has one of these cutie fruity flavors." Last month, U.S Customs and Border Protection seized roughly 2 million of the illegal products, with an estimated worth of nearly $34 million. "This is just a small fraction of the seizures we have here," CBP official Eric Everson told Davis as they recently toured a facility of seized e-cigarettes. In just the first six months of 2025, CBP seizures had a domestic value of $60.3 million. "We're concerned about these vape shops that are popping up on every corner in America," Marty said. "Parents are not aware of what's being sold there." Only 39 e-cigarette products have been authorized by the FDA to be legally marketed in the U.S. -- all with menthol or tobacco flavorings. Marty told ABC News the FDA recently sent a total of 800 letters to retailers and distributors of vapes, warning them about selling unauthorized products. "Eighty-five percent of the vaping products sold in the vape stores are illegal according to the FDA's list," said Makary. "We don't even know what's in some of these [illegal] vaping products," he said. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
FDA head warns of illegal vaping products from China
An influx of illegal vapes that are appealing to children and teens has been making its way into the U.S. from China, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary warned in an interview Tuesday with ABC News. "[What] we have been doing is laughable," Makary told ABC News' Linsey Davis. Makary said that cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes would be a "top priority" for the agency moving forward. MORE: Inside the crackdown on a flashy new generation of illicit vapes popular with US teens "We're going to start confiscating and seizing. We're going to take this seriously," Makary said. A new generation of products, designed to help teens vape discreetly while attempting to evade parents and teachers, include vaping mechanisms concealed as backpacks, smartphone cases, highlighters and handheld video game consoles, law enforcement officials have told ABC News. "There is no approved vaping product in the United States that has a video game," Marty said while holding an illicit vape. "There is not an approved vaping product in the United States that has one of these cutie fruity flavors." Last month, U.S Customs and Border Protection seized roughly 2 million of the illegal products, with an estimated worth of nearly $34 million. "This is just a small fraction of the seizures we have here," CBP official Eric Everson told Davis as they recently toured a facility of seized e-cigarettes. In just the first six months of 2025, CBP seizures had a domestic value of $60.3 million. "We're concerned about these vape shops that are popping up on every corner in America," Marty said. "Parents are not aware of what's being sold there." Only 39 e-cigarette products have been authorized by the FDA to be legally marketed in the U.S. -- all with menthol or tobacco flavorings. Marty told ABC News the FDA recently sent a total of 800 letters to retailers and distributors of vapes, warning them about selling unauthorized products. "Eighty-five percent of the vaping products sold in the vape stores are illegal according to the FDA's list," said Makary. "We don't even know what's in some of these [illegal] vaping products," he said.
