Watch moment £2k worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes seized from hidden compartment in Preston shop
£2,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes were seized from a hidden compartment in a Preston shop during a recent police operation.
Officers from Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team and Preston Task Force worked with various agencies to visit eight stores on Plungington Road this week.
The operation involved Lancashire Trading Standards, Immigration, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Housing Standards and Environmental Health.
This is what happened during the operation:
- Officers seized around £2,000 worth of illicit tobacco and vapes.
- Two people were arrested in relation to immigration offences.
- One person was arrested for possession of a knife.
- Arrested one person for possession with intent to supply a Class B drug.
- Conducted six stop searches and seized a vehicle with no insurance.
PC Lloyd, from Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This operation demonstrates the strong working relationships that we have with our partners and the commitment we all have to working together to tackle the issues that our communities are facing.”
Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, added: “It is so important for us to tackle sales of illicit vape and tobacco products, by working together with our partners on days of action like this in the community.
“We will always take action against unscrupulous shop owners who prioritise profits over the health and wellbeing of our community. Selling shoddy and possibly dangerous products puts buyers at a significant risk of harm and this is totally unacceptable.
“Our Trading Standards team will always take the strongest action possible against those who openly break the law. We encourage anyone who has concerns about the sale of any age-restricted products to report these to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service helpline on 0808 223 1133.”