Kent Police and Trading Standards visited seven vape and phone repair shops in Canterbury city centre on 28 August 2026, seizing over 10,000 suspected counterfeit and non-compliant products and arresting four people.
Four people arrested. More than 10,000 suspected illegal items pulled from Canterbury’s high street in a single day. The joint operation on 28 August 2026 saw officers from Kent Police and Trading Standards descend on seven vape and phone repair shops in the city centre, acting on intelligence that the businesses were involved in the sale of counterfeit and non-compliant goods. All four have been released on bail while enquiries continue.
Those detained were a 30-year-old Pakistani national, a 36-year-old Indian national, a 38-year-old Pakistani national and a 54-year-old Indian national. The haul included nicotine pouches, headphones, toys, vapes and mobile phones — all suspected of failing to meet UK safety and trading regulations.
Canterbury Chief Inspector Paul Stoner said the operation was part of the force’s broader work to keep the district safe. Steve Rock, Kent County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, was blunt about the risks to shoppers. Items like these might look like a bargain, he said, but they often don’t work as expected and can be outright dangerous. “If a product looks too good to be true, then it is probably not genuine and not worth the risk,” Rock said. He confirmed Trading Standards would continue working with partner agencies to identify and remove counterfeit and dangerous goods from Kent high streets.
And it’s not just the shops being looked at. Canterbury’s licensed taxi trade has also come under scrutiny as part of Kent Police’s wider work in keeping the Canterbury district safe, with officers and partner agencies working to hold drivers and business owners to expected high standards.