Enforcement officers say they have caught two businesses selling counterfeit cigarettes for a second time in the space of a few months – with one said to operating solely for the illegal trade.
Trading standards, police and Home Office immigration officers searched two shops in Trinity Street and Church Street, Gainsborough – having already searched them back in the spring.
Andy Wright, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, accused one of the shops in particular of being run with “criminal intent".
He said: “This is the second seizure of illegal cigarettes and tobacco from 128 Trinity Street.
“On both occasions the shop had been staffed by persons with no right to work in the 海角视频, in effect they were being exploited by the proprietor of the business as a source of cheap labour. The quantities seized from the premises do not illustrate the amounts being sold.
“The shop exists solely for the purpose of selling illegal cigarettes, without such sales it is not a viable enterprise.
“The cigarettes are counterfeit and fail to self-extinguish should they be left unattended. Legitimate cigarettes are required by law to self-extinguish.
“The fire service have been made me aware of a number of deaths in Lincolnshire where unattended illegal cigarettes have been the cause.
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“At other shops in Lincolnshire we have sought closure orders for the premises. At this particular shop I already have an informal undertaking from the premises landlord that he will take steps to evict the tenant, I hope this will make it unnecessary for closure.
“I have yet to agree a timescale with the landlord and appropriate precautions to ensure the premises isn’t transferred to a tenant with similar criminal intent. However, I hope that this can be done.”
Kim Enderby, senior licensing and community safety officer for West Lindsey District Council, said the raids were carried out on Wednesday, August 3.
He said: “These two stores were targeted because illicit cigarettes had been seized during raids in April and fresh intelligence was received that they were again selling illegal tobacco products.
“Prior to the raids a test purchase operation had taken place, with both premises selling illegal products to plain-clothes officers.
“Searches were carried out with the assistance of a dog specially trained in locating concealed tobacco.
“A quantity of illegal tobacco was seized and immigration officers encountered a male working in one of the stores who due to his immigration status was barred from work of that kind. Investigations by the agencies involved are ongoing.”
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Coun Jessie Milne, chairman of West Lindsey’s licensing committee, said: “These latest raids demonstrate the value of effective partnership working. Multiple agencies sharing skills and intelligence to tackle a problem head on.
“Operations like this are a great example of agencies working together to protect the public of West Lindsey from harm. Everyone is focussed on disrupting and stopping criminal activity of this type.
“West Lindsey District Council remains committed to promoting responsible, legitimate businesses, whilst working together with partners to identify and stop those individuals selling dangerous products. There is no room in West Lindsey for rogue businesses and we remain determined to identify them, and then to stop them.”