{"id":69265,"date":"2026-03-26T14:09:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=69265"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:46:12","slug":"bideford-shop-where-spice-laced-vapes-were-sale-closed-trading-standards-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/bideford-shop-where-spice-laced-vapes-were-sale-closed-trading-standards-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Bideford shop, where tobacco products were sold to children closed by trading standards and police"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A shop in Bideford has been ordered to close for three months for selling illegal tobacco.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devon Mini Market, on Mill Street, was first visited by officers from Heart of the South West Trading Standards and Devon and Cornwall Police in October last year following concerns that illegal tobacco was being sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the fourth shop closed by Heart of the South West Trading Standards this month for selling illegal tobacco – since July at least 25 shops have been shut.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also reports of tobacco and vapes being sold to under 18s, and that two children had become unwell after vaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s suspected that the vapes contained Spice, a Class B synthetic cannabinoid drug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the investigation, \u00a33,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vapes were found in car linked to the shop,  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, despite the illegal products and car being seized, the illegal trade continued, and last month (February) a test purchase confirmed that illegal tobacco was still being sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday 22 March, Trading Standards officers and Police served a 48\u2011hour closure notice and found more illegal tobacco products in a storeroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday 24 March, Barnstaple Magistrates\u2019 Court granted a three\u2011month closure order for Devon Mini Market,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Magistrates said they were \u2018satisfied\u2019 that the closure was necessary to prevent further criminal activity linked to the sale of illegal tobacco and underage sales.<\/p>\n\n\n

\r\n\t
\r\n

Councillor Simon Clist, Devon County Council\u2019s Cabinet Member for Trading Standards, said:<\/p><\/div>\r\n \t\t

\u201cThis was a serious and persistent case, and the court agreed that closing the premises was necessary to protect the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cIllegal tobacco and dangerous vapes pose real risks, particularly to young people. In this case children were physically ill because of the additives which we suspect was Spice which can cause mental health issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We will not hesitate to take firm action against retailers who repeatedly break the law and put communities at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\t
\r\n\t\t\"Councillor\r\n
\r\n Councillor Simon Clist, Cabinet Member for Assets and Resources<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n <\/figure>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\n\n
\r\n\t
\r\n

Alex Fry Operations Manager for Heart of the South West Trading Standards said; <\/p><\/div>\r\n \t\t

\u201cThis closure sends a clear message that this kind of criminal activity will not be tolerated in Devon.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to work closely with Police to target illegal tobacco and vape sales, protect public health and support legitimate businesses that trade responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\n <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":859,"featured_media":69266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22,7,34,2144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-economy-and-skills","category-children-families-and-education","category-community","category-public-health"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":69266,"title":"Copy of hero image for news website 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