Highlights
- 320,000 illegal cigarettes seized in Lincolnshire in its biggest raid yet.
- Two Gainsborough shops shut; one arrest made.
- Officials warn of fire risks and organised crime links.
More than 320,000 illegal cigarettes and 165kg of hand rolling tobacco have been removed from Lincolnshire’s streets as the county council’s crackdown on unsafe tobacco products intensifies.
The haul includes the largest single seizure of illicit tobacco products made to date by Lincolnshire Trading Standards.
The products were uncovered during raids carried out at two business premises in Gainsborough and a house in the Retford area on 23 July during a joint operation between Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police.
Following the searches, one woman was arrested and the two shops in Gainsborough have now been ordered to close for three months - the maximum period allowed by law.
Closure orders were granted at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 25 July, for the following premises:
- Blue Sky, 5-7 Church Street, Gainsborough
- European Shop, 114 Trinity Street, Gainsborough
Trading Standards Officers are continuing to investigate the criminal offences being committed and will prosecute where appropriate.
Andy Wright, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “This is an excellent example of partnership working and shows what can be achieved by co-ordinated use of Trading Standards and Police powers.
“We estimate the street value of the goods seized to be in excess of £140,000 and believe they were destined for sale in and around the Gainsborough area, where they would have undermined legitimate, law-abiding businesses.
“The connections between the sale of illegal cigarettes and organised crime are well documented. In many cases those involved will have connections to drugs, people trafficking, and money laundering. It is common for my officers to find people with no UK right to work in sole charge of shops selling illegal cigarettes and vapes. In those instances, we work jointly with Police and Immigration Officers.
“Many of the cigarettes seized are counterfeit. These commonly do not self-extinguish if left unattended. Legal cigarettes are required to self-extinguish as a safety feature. Nationally the Fire Service cite unattended cigarettes as the number one cause of house fires in the UK.
"Clearly, illegal cigarettes will make up a sizeable proportion of those statistics. Unfortunately Trading Standards are aware of a number of incidents in Lincolnshire where serious injury and death has resulted from house fires directly caused by illegal cigarettes.”
Lincolnshire Police Sergeant, Jason Bennett, added: “We remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping our communities safe and disrupting the criminal networks that profit from illicit tobacco.
"The work we undertake in close collaboration with our partners at Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards continues to disrupt this illegal trade that not only harms public health - it also fuels broader criminal activity and undermines legitimate businesses.
"By working closely with multi-agency partners and acting on intelligence, we’re sending a clear message: we won’t tolerate crime that puts our residents at risk.”