27,000 illegal cigarettes seized in joint partnership operation

Cheshire Police have executed enforcement visits at retailers in Warrington alongside community partners to tackle the distribution of illegal cigarettes and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

On Thursday 30 October, Cheshire Police’s Northern Protecting Vulnerable People Exploitation Team, supported by community partners including Trading Standards, HMRC, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Immigration, and a Wagtail UK search dog, attended two retailers in the Orford Lane area of Warrington.
The shops, a short walk from one another, were being visited in relation to the distribution of illicit products and potential immigration and modern-day slavery offences being committed.
Entering the shops, officers and their Trading Standards colleagues, assisted by a specialised search dog from Wagtail UK, located numerous concealments used to hide large volumes of illicit tobacco products from view.
No duty had been paid on any of these products meaning they had likely been smuggled into the UK with the business owner benefitting. From the two shops, a total of 27,000 illicit cigarettes and 3.5kg of illicit tobacco with a total value of £25,000 was seized by Trading Standards.
HMRC will now pursue the business owners for unpaid duty and taxes who will also be liable for large fines from both HMRC and Trading Standards and may face prosecution.
The exploitation team carried out safeguarding enquiries at both of the stores to identify signs of modern-day slavery as cash-heavy business environments historically pose a higher risk of these offences occurring. Both shopkeepers were found to have successfully claimed asylum and were legally employed.

Detective Sergeant Joe Davies, of the Protecting Vulnerable People Exploitation Team, said: “I’m really grateful for the support of our partners, in particular, Warrington Trading Standards and colleagues from HMRC who dramatically enhance the partnership capability to disrupt this criminality in our communities.
“Illegal activity such as tax avoidance, money laundering, smuggling of illicit products for the benefit of criminals is a scourge on our communities and on the taxpayer. Such offences are the warning signs of modern-day slavery offences and the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“Officers from my Exploitation Team have historically visited these two and other businesses in Warrington and found there to be illegal working which can be indicative of exploitation. This outcome, having found no illegal working, reflects the sustained preventative efforts by the Exploitation Team to eliminate the opportunity for exploitation in environments where the risk is naturally higher.
“It is our intention to continue to work closely with our partners and would like to make it abundantly clear to anyone who is engaging in this form of criminality: the Warrington partnership will not tolerate it, and we will bring you to justice.”