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More than 320,000 unlawful cigarettes and 165kg of hand rolling tobacco have been faraway from Lincolnshire’s streets because the county council’s crackdown on unsafe tobacco merchandise intensifies.
The haul contains the most important single seizure of illicit tobacco merchandise made so far by Lincolnshire Trading Standards.
The merchandise had been uncovered throughout raids carried out at two enterprise premises in Gainsborough and a home within the Retford space on 23 July throughout a joint operation between Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police.
Following the searches, one lady was arrested and the 2 outlets in Gainsborough have now been ordered to shut for 3 months – the utmost interval allowed by legislation.
Closure orders had been granted at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 25 July, for the next premises:
- Blue Sky, 5-7 Church Street, Gainsborough
- European Shop, 114 Trinity Street, Gainsborough
Trading Standards Officers are persevering with to analyze the prison offences being dedicated and can prosecute the place applicable.
Andy Wright, principal buying and selling requirements officer at Lincolnshire County Council, stated: “This is a superb instance of partnership working and reveals what will be achieved by co-ordinated use of Trading Standards and Police powers.
“We estimate the road worth of the products seized to be in extra of £140,000 and consider they had been destined on the market in and across the Gainsborough space, the place they might have undermined official, law-abiding companies.
“The connections between the sale of unlawful cigarettes and organised crime are nicely documented. In many instances these concerned could have connections to medicine, individuals trafficking, and cash laundering. It is widespread for my officers to seek out individuals with no UK proper to work in sole cost of outlets promoting unlawful cigarettes and vapes. In these cases, we work collectively 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.”
Report it
Residents may also help by reporting cases of unlawful tobacco gross sales or related criminality. Reporting helps to construct a greater intelligence image, to raised proof prison exercise, and to proactively disrupt organised criminals.
Reporting is straightforward and 100% nameless. Call Crimestoppers right now: 0800 555 111, or give info on-line:
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you possibly can go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/news/article/2426/two-gainsborough-shops-shuttered-in-lincolnshire-s-biggest-ever-seizure-of-illegal-tobacco-products
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