Warwickshire raid seizes 16,000 cigarettes and 853 vapes in crackdown on illegal shops

Operation Etone saw 40 officers raid mini marts across Warwickshire, closing six businesses and seizing illicit goods worth nearly £21,000.

Forty officers target illegal tobacco and vape trade in Nuneaton crackdown

Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Police have carried out their largest co-ordinated enforcement operation to date against the illegal trade of tobacco and vapes, warwickshire.gov.uk reports. Operation Etone ran over three days and deployed 15 Trading Standards officers alongside approximately 25 police officers.

The operation opened with a multi-agency public engagement day in Nuneaton town centre before moving to two days of targeted raids. Mini marts were the primary focus, with intelligence pointing to the continued supply of illegal tobacco and vaping products from those premises.

Six business closure notices were served during the operation. Four of those businesses have since appeared before the courts and been successfully closed for up to three months while further investigations continue. Other premises have had their leases forfeited, with properties returned to their landlords.

One business director was arrested at court on an outstanding warrant for offences committed in Luton.

Officers seized 16,280 cigarettes — the equivalent of 814 packs — together with 67 packs of hand-rolling tobacco and 853 vapes. The combined estimated value of the confiscated goods stood at £20,950.

Councillor George Finch, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said the shops targeted were far from minor offenders. "These dodgy shops are a cancer on our high streets," Finch said. "They are not harmless businesses just selling a few cheap cigarettes under the counter. They are often fronts for organised criminal gangs, selling dangerous and unregulated products, employing people illegally and funnelling their profits into wider criminal activity."

Finch said such businesses deliberately preyed on local communities and undercut legitimate traders. "For years criminals have behaved as though they can set up shop in our towns and operate with impunity," he said. "Operation Etone shows that those days are coming to an end in Warwickshire."

The council leader added that the partnership behind the operation would pursue those involved regardless of the specific offence. "Whether you are selling illegal tobacco, using illegal workers or using our high streets to support organised immigration crime, we will come after you," Finch said. "We will work with the police, borough councils, landlords and every available enforcement agency to drive these criminals out of our high streets."

Trading Standards worked alongside Warwickshire Police and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to identify targets and mount the enforcement action.

The council described the presence of so-called dodgy shops as one of the most significant risks currently facing Warwickshire's high streets, arguing that such outlets are increasingly used as cover for serious organised crime, including illegal employment practices that undermine legitimate retailers.

In early June, Warwickshire County Council also launched its Crime Awareness and Prevention Programme (CAPP), built on work already under way through the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board. The programme is designed to recalibrate existing efforts around community safety, with targeted action against crime and antisocial behaviour based on the experiences of local residents.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)