Gas leak call sees vape haul
VAPES worth £14,000 were found and seized by police together with £10,000 in cash after officers were called out to reports of a gas leak.
Greater Manchester Police said the force was alerted when a gas engineer who had been alerted and attended the Rochdale address was turned away by those inside.
Tobacco and packets of cigarettes were subsequently discovered.
Three men were arrested and remained in custody on Monday for questioning, GMP added. The haul – hailed a ‘great success’ by police – was worth around £27,000 in total.
The news came on the day the Government announced disposable vapes will be banned in England under new measures designed to protect children. Other measures announced include new powers to restrict flavours which are marketed at children, and £100 fines for shops in England and Wales which sell vapes illegally to children.
GMP said the gas engineer was called to reports of a potential gas leak in Osborne Street, Rochdale, at 11.30pm on Sunday night.
In a statement, the force said: “After a call was made to GMP, officers attended the property. After it was made safe, numerous suspected illegal goods and products were discovered, including items which had been thrown out of the window when officers arrived.
“In total, officers seized 1,400 vapes with a value of approximately £14,000; 80 pouches of tobacco, with a value of approximately £3,000; 20 packs of cigarettes with a value of approximately £240 and approximately £10,000 in cash.
“Three men, aged 24, 29, and 32, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of money laundering and attempting to sell counterfeit goods. They remain in custody for questioning.
“GMP is committed to cracking down on illegal vapes and products across the force and works closely with partners including Trading Standards to ensure consumers are receiving fully regulated products. Vapes which have not been through the rigorous assessments as set by UK regulators could pose a health risk, and officers work hard to keep them off the streets.”
Inspector Oliver Bailey, from GMP’S Rochdale district, said: “Sunday’s finds were a great success in our ongoing work to clamp down on illegal vapes being distributed across Rochdale. In recent months, we have taken thousands off the streets, made numerous arrests, and built a wider intelligence picture on how and where vapes are distributed.”