Illegal tobacco, vapes worth £12,000 seized in Lancashire

Around £12,000 worth of counterfeit nicotine products have been seized from shops in Lancashire after they were found hidden inside a concealed, locked ceiling storage compartment.

During the operation on Monday (9), officers from Preston’s neighbourhood policing team, along with Trading Standards and Lancashire Fire and Rescue, seized 1,228 goods from two shops in the city, with £1000 in cash, believed to be proceeds of crime, also seized.

According to Lancashire Constabulary, in one of the shops, items were hidden behind a concealed storage compartment which was secured using a remote control magnetic lock.

Sergeant Roz Walsh, from Preston’s neighbourhood policing team, said, “Information from the public is invaluable to the police. Without it, we would be unable to carry out this sort of proactive work which helps to prevent and detect crime, ensuring the safeguarding and protection of our community.

“This operation demonstrates the strong working relationships that we have with our partners and the commitment we all have to working together to tackle this sort of activity which often leads to anti-social behaviour in the surrounding communities.”

County Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for health and wellbeing said, “Once again, our Trading Standards team have joined forces with Lancashire Constabulary as part of the Operation Centurion initiative.

“During this raid, tobacco and vapes worth £12,000 were found hidden inside a concealed, locked ceiling storage compartment in a sophisticated attempt to evade the law.

“Cheap, illicit tobacco and illegal vapes are all too easily available to purchase and the sale of illegal products has a serious impact on both legitimate businesses, and on our communities.

“Closing off avenues where illicit goods are sold is not just a matter of enforcing the law, it is a way of protecting public health. Our Trading Standards Team will continue to keep seizing illicit tobacco and non-compliant vapes and continue to take enforcement action against rogue traders.”

Operation Centurion is Lancashire Police’s response to tackling anti-social behaviour backed by Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden and £2m of extra funding secured from the Government’s new Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan.