Illegal Tobacco and Vapes Seized in Bury Council Operation 2026

Key Points:

• Intelligence-led operation is being conducted by Bury Council Trading Standards Service in respect of illicit tobacco, vapes and other unlawful goods.
• Visits were made to eight retailers within the borough with support from Greater Manchester Police and specialist enforcement agencies.
• Illicit goods were discovered at four of the businesses.
• Tobacco and vaping products confiscated include 397 packs of cigarettes, 51 pouches of hand rolling tobacco and 127 vapes.
• Additionally, counterfeit and dangerous children’s “squishie” toys were confiscated from a fifth retailer.
• Estimated street value of the goods is around £8,500.
• Specialist tobacco dog Grace from Wagtail UK assisted the officers to find goods concealed in specialized containers.
• Bury Council stated that the majority of the retailers visited were conducting their business responsibly and legally.
• Further investigation will focus on the supply chain and trace the offenders behind the sales of such unlawful goods.
• Individuals may report any suspicions about these offences to Bury Council’s Trading Standards Service or anonymously to Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.

Bury (Manchester Mirror) August 10, 2026 – Trading Standards Service has launched an intelligence-led enforcement programme against illicit tobacco, illegal vaping products and other unlawful goods after officers seized cigarettes, hand-rolling tobacco, vapes and potentially unsafe children’s toys from retail premises across the borough. The council said the operation was carried out with Greater uk/police/">Manchester Police, its newly appointed Tobacco and Vape Apprentice Enforcement Officer and specialist detection dog Grace from Wagtail UK.

The operation involved targeted inspections at eight retail premises. According to Bury Council, illicit tobacco and vaping products were found at four of the businesses visited. Officers seized 397 packets of cigarettes, 51 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco and 127 vapes.

A quantity of counterfeit and potentially unsafe children’s “squishie” toys was also recovered from a fifth premises. The council said such products may not have undergone appropriate safety testing and could pose risks to children.

The estimated total street value of the seized goods was approximately £8,500, although the council said further assessment was continuing as part of its investigations. The Manchester Evening News also reported the estimated value as around £8,500.

The council has described the activity as the start of a wider programme rather than a single enforcement visit. Investigators are now examining where the goods came from, how they entered the local supply chain and who may be responsible for distributing or selling them.

Why has Bury Council introduced a zero-tolerance approach?

The enforcement operation follows a recent motion by Bury Council committing the authority to a zero-tolerance approach towards illegal tobacco and vape sales in the borough’s so-called “dodgy shops”. The motion was intended to strengthen action against businesses that sell products outside the legal framework and to support retailers that comply with trading standards requirements.

According to Bury Council, the illicit tobacco trade can damage legitimate local businesses, reduce tax revenue and make tobacco products more accessible and affordable, including to young people. The council also linked illegal vaping products to public-health concerns.

The Manchester Evening News reported that councillors had raised wider concerns about some businesses operating under the appearance of legitimate shops while allegedly being connected to other forms of criminality. The report referred to potential links involving drug trafficking, money laundering, modern slavery, human trafficking and cybercrime. However, the latest enforcement operation concerned the seizure of illicit tobacco, illegal vapes and counterfeit goods.

The Manchester Evening News also reported comments by Labour councillor Michael Rubinstein, who said in July that authorities suspected illegal activity in as many as half of mini-marts and vape shops and around one-third of American candy stores. Those figures were presented in the newspaper report as claims made during the political debate surrounding the council’s motion, rather than as findings from the latest eight-premises operation.

The council’s motion also called for a borough-wide summit to consider how local agencies could respond to illegal trading and how compliant businesses could be supported.

How did officers find the hidden tobacco and vapes?

The operation was supported by Grace, a specialist tobacco detection dog from Wagtail UK. Bury Council said Grace’s training helps officers locate tobacco products concealed in difficult-to-find locations.

The council referred to purpose-built hiding places and “hide” systems that are commonly used to conceal illicit products. These systems can allow tobacco and vaping goods to be stored away from the visible retail area, making them more difficult to find during ordinary inspections.

The use of a detection dog formed part of the intelligence-led approach adopted by the council and its partner agencies. Rather than visiting businesses at random, officers carried out targeted inspections based on information available to enforcement teams.

The council did not identify the premises involved or provide details of any arrests, charges or prosecutions connected with the latest seizures. It said investigations remained active and that decisions about further enforcement action would be made after officers had assessed the evidence.

What goods were seized from Bury shops?

The main seizure involved tobacco and vaping products taken from four separate premises:

• 397 packets of cigarettes.
• 51 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco.
• 127 vapes.

The authorities also seized counterfeit and potentially unsafe children’s “squishie” toys from another premises. Bury Council said these products may not have been subject to appropriate safety testing.

The council did not provide a product-by-product breakdown of the brands, packaging or regulatory breaches identified. It also did not state whether all the tobacco products were counterfeit, non-duty-paid, incorrectly labelled or otherwise unlawful. The available statement grouped the items under the broader description of illicit tobacco and illegal vaping products.

The Manchester Evening News described the seized items as hundreds of illegal goods and reported that the operation marked the beginning of the wider “dodgy shop” crackdown.

Bury Council said the operation also found good levels of compliance at several premises. The authority stressed that most local retailers were operating responsibly and within the law, meaning the enforcement activity was not presented as evidence that every business visited had breached regulations.

What did Councillor Gavin McGill say?

Councillor Gavin McGill, Bury Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Economy, said the council’s commitment to zero tolerance was now being put into practice.

In the council’s press release, Councillor McGill said the authority was working with Trading Standards, Greater Manchester Police and Wagtail UK to target people seeking to profit from illegal sales. He also highlighted the involvement of the council’s new Tobacco and Vape Apprentice Enforcement Officer.

Councillor McGill said the officer’s participation would help build future enforcement capacity while contributing to the protection of residents during the current operation. He added that the visits were not a one-off exercise and formed part of ongoing intelligence-led investigations and enforcement activity.

The councillor also said the council’s approach was intended to support honest traders, protect high streets and town centres, and reduce the public-health harm associated with illegal tobacco and vaping products.

The Manchester Evening News reported similar comments from Councillor McGill, including his statement that the council expected further enforcement action against those involved in the sale of illegal tobacco, unregulated vapes or counterfeit goods.

What will happen after the seizures?

Bury Council said follow-up investigations were under way. Officers will seek to establish the supply chains behind the seized products, identify the individuals responsible and decide what enforcement measures may be appropriate.

The council did not announce the specific penalties that could follow in the cases covered by the operation. Any further action will depend on the evidence gathered, the nature of the alleged offences and the applicable trading standards, product safety, licensing or criminal laws.

The authority said it would continue using its available investigatory and enforcement powers. It also confirmed that it would work with Greater Manchester Police and other agencies to address criminality linked to illicit tobacco and illegal vape sales.

Residents have been asked to report concerns about illicit tobacco, illegal vaping products or counterfeit goods to Bury Council’s Trading Standards Service. Reports can also be made anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Bury Council said intelligence received from residents may be assessed and used to support future enforcement operations.

What is the background to the Bury crackdown?

Bury Council’s latest operation forms part of a series of enforcement activities against illicit tobacco, illegal vapes and counterfeit products across the borough.

Earlier operations reported by Bury Council included joint work with Greater Manchester Police, Trading Standards and specialist detection dogs. In April 2025, the council reported the seizure of 627 packets of illicit cigarettes, 95 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, 232 illicit vapes and six packets of shisha, with an estimated street value of approximately £15,000.

A separate Operation Avro enforcement action reported by the council in April 2025 involved visits to six shops in Bury and Prestwich. Officers seized 7,480 illicit cigarettes, 2.15 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco and 1,218 vapes, with the total value of the goods estimated at £25,000.

Bury Council’s current action therefore follows earlier multi-agency operations, but the latest announcement places particular emphasis on the council’s zero-tolerance motion, intelligence-led inspections and the involvement of its new Tobacco and Vape Apprentice Enforcement Officer.

How could the operation affect Bury residents and businesses?

For Bury residents, the immediate effect could be increased inspections and the removal of illicit tobacco, illegal vapes and unsafe counterfeit goods from shops. Residents may also see more requests from the council and police for information about businesses suspected of selling unlawful products.

Legitimate retailers could benefit if enforcement reduces competition from businesses selling goods outside the legal and tax systems. However, the council has made clear that the operation is targeted at suspected breaches and that several businesses visited were found to be compliant.

Consumers may face greater scrutiny of products sold through local shops, particularly tobacco, vaping products and children’s novelty goods. The longer-term effect will depend on the results of the investigations, whether further seizures or prosecutions follow, and whether residents continue to provide information to Trading Standards and partner agencies.