Crossword Genius

Stopped when it was confiscated, you say? (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ceased

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'stopped' is the definition.
('cease' can be a synonym of 'stop')

'it was confiscated you say?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'it' could be 'e' ('e' can mean 'electronic' which is similar to 'IT') and 'e' is found within the answer.
'say?' could be 'as' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'as' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'when' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ceased that I've seen before include "Finished" , "Stopped, desisted" , "Stopped, ended" , "Terminated" , "Stopped, quit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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