Operation Hind cracking down on illegal vapes

Shops being prosecuted in police and trading standards effort

- By STAFF REPORTER

Illegal vapes and cigarettes are a 'growing issue'

A NEW operation to crack down on sellers of illegal cigarettes and vapes in Leicestershire is under way.

Both business owners and over-the-counter sellers have been prosecuted by Leicestershire County Council's Trading Standards team in recent years for the sale of both counterfeit cigarettes and vapes.

Now, under Operation Hind, Trading Standards and Leicestershire Police are ramping up efforts to prosecute people involved in the illegal industry.

The first person prosecuted under the operation has been sentenced at Leicester Crown Court.