Around 4,500 cigarettes and 3kg of hand rolling tobacco have been seized in Gainsborough – with footage showing the extreme lengths criminals are taking to hide them.
Lincolnshire Trading Standards officers discovered the unsafe items during an investigation at Local Shop on Trinity Street.
The illegal products were hidden behind a dummy plug socket, that when removed, revealed a ‘lazy susan’ style carousel packed full of illicit cigarettes.
While the criminals’ hides are getting more and more elaborate, as the footage shows, they are no match for Skye, the star springer spaniel sniffer dog from Wagtail UK.
The tough tackling multi-agency operation was carried out by Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) and Immigration and Enforcement officers.
Cllr Alex McGonigle, executive member for community safety at Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“This is now the sixth premises on Trinity Street in Gainsborough that has been found to be selling illegal cigarettes and/or vapes.
“The other shops have been closed down and we’ve worked successfully with landlords to remove the tenants. Clearly the criminals remain persistent, but we will remain vigilant and continue the fight against this High Street crime.”
Across Lincolnshire, approximately 500,000 illegal cigarettes have been seized from premises this year, as the county council continues to work with partners to clamp down on their sale.
“Lincolnshire Police Inspector, Michael Head, said:
“Illegal tobacco and vaping products continue to pose a significant challenge in our county. Not only do they present serious health risks to our communities, but they also threaten the viability of law-abiding businesses.
“The profits from these illicit sales often go on to fund wider criminal activity. While the impact may not always be immediately visible, tackling this issue is vital to protecting both public health and community safety.
“We remain committed to working in close partnership with Trading Standards and West Lindsey District Council to reduce this risk and disrupt the sale of illegal products across our communities.”
Kim Enderby, senior community safety officer at West Lindsey District Council, added:
“This is the second successful multi-agency operation targeting selling illegal and dangerous tobacco products undertaken in Gainsborough in the last two months.
“West Lindsey District Council regularly shares intelligence with trading standards and the police and on operations like this we pool our resources to ensure individuals involved in criminality can be targeted effectively.
“The sale in illicit goods affects other legitimate local shops and businesses, endangers the health of anyone buying the illegal product, so has a real impact on the local community. We remain committed to ensuring West Lindsey is a great place to be where people, businesses and communities can thrive and reach their full potential.”
Report it
Residents can help by reporting instances of illegal tobacco sales or associated criminality. Reporting helps to build a better intelligence picture, to better evidence criminal activity, and to proactively disrupt organised criminals.
Reporting is easy and 100% anonymous. Call Crimestoppers today: 0800 555 111, or give information online: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information