Illegal Goods Seized Across Birmingham as Operation Cloud Strikes Again
Birmingham City Council's Trading Standards team, in partnership with West Midlands Police, carried out multiple major enforcement actions under the ongoing Operation Cloud initiative.
The initiative targets the sale of illegal and harmful goods across the city.
Warrants were executed at a business premises in Kings Heath last month, along with two vehicles linked to the operation. The coordinated action resulted in the seizure of 40 large nitrous oxide bottles and associated paraphernalia, 600 illicit vapes, 17 packets of oral snuff and 80 unlicensed erectile dysfunction tablets.
One vehicle was seized, and forced entry was made into the second. A male suspect was also arrested at the scene.
The Council's Trading Standards team and West Midlands Police visited the same premises in November 2024 and seized a number of illicit goods. Last month's visit was the second seizure at the premises.
A closure order has now been issued for the premises based on concerns from the community worried about anti-social behaviour. The closure will be in place for three months.
Yesterday (7 August), the Council's Trading Standards team continued to intensify operations with two further enforcement actions under Operation Cloud in Erdington.
Both premises were identified through new intelligence and were visited with the support of a trained detection dog.
This operation resulted in seizures of 1666 illegal vapes, 5624 packets of illicit cigarettes (112,480 cigarette sticks) and 992 packets of counterfeit tobacco pouches, with a combined estimated street value of £125,000.
Officers also accessed a vehicle that was storing illegal goods, which was seized at the scene.
Councillor Jamie Tennant, Cabinet Member for Social Justice, Community Safety and Equalities, said:
"This latest raid demonstrated our unwavering commitment to protecting Birmingham's communities from the dangers of illegal goods. These products were not only harmful to individuals – particularly young people – but also fuelled anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in our neighbourhoods."
Launched in September 2024, Operation Cloud has been a city-wide crackdown on the distribution of illicit vapes, nitrous oxide, counterfeit tobacco, and other illegal products that pose serious risks to public health and safety. To date, the operation has removed nearly £7 million worth of illegal goods from circulation.
Operation Cloud continued to intensify, with enforcement actions targeting the illegal sale of single-use vapes, following a new ban introduced on 1 June 2025.
Residents were encouraged to report any suspicious activity or sales of illegal goods by contacting Birmingham Trading Standards on 0121 303 9360 or West Midlands Police on 101.
