A successful joint partnership operation in New Milton, Hampshire, has resulted in the seizure of illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes with a retail value of almost £18,000.
On Wednesday (13 May), officers from Modern Slavery & Organised Immigration Crime (MSOIC) and New Milton Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) joined forces with Trading Standards officers from Hampshire County Council and Immigration Enforcement.
Following information received from local communities, they visited shops in the town centre to carry out enforcement and compliance visits.
At one store, 108 packets of cigarettes (2,160 cigarette sticks), 14 pouches (50g) of hand-rolled tobacco and 115 vapes were seized. At a second store, 57 packets of cigarettes (1,140 cigarette sticks), 15 pouches (50g) of hand-rolled tobacco and two vapes were seized.
An associated vehicle, suspected of being linked to one of the shops, was also searched and found to contain 824 packets of cigarettes (16,480 cigarette sticks) and 216 pouches (50g) of hand-rolled tobacco, which were also seized.
The total high street value of the seized items - had they been sold - would have been £8,989. However, the total high street value of the equivalent compliant cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco would have been £17,802, the force said.
Speaking after the operation, PC Antony Waghorn of MSOIC, said: “This operation once again demonstrated our continued commitment to protecting our communities from illegal and harmful activity.
“We’ve seized a significant quantity of illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes and spoken with workers to ensure their safety and welfare. This kind of criminality exploits people, harms local residents, and undermines legitimate businesses. We’ll continue to work together to identify those higher up the chain who profit from these offences and ensure they are held to account.
“I’d like to place on record my thanks to those members of the community, including local shoppers and workers, who came over and thanked us for our work yesterday.”
Hampshire County Council’s head of Trading Standards, Richard Strawson, added: “Our focus on cracking down on illegal vapes and tobacco products is paying off, with this latest operation preventing potentially dangerous products from reaching consumers.
“We were pleased to work with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police and partners, and this operation will act as a deterrent to other disreputable traders. We continue to urge residents to stay alert and report anything of concern, including underage sales.”
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