Illicit tobacco and vapes worth £150k seized

Four shops in a town centre are to temporarily close for three months, after police seized £150,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vapes.

Wiltshire Police raided Istanbul Market, Zabka Polski Sklep, The Romanian and Polish Shop and Helsinki Mini Market in the Broadgreen area of Swindon on 19 January.

Police said significant quantities of illegal tobacco and vapes were located and seized, including thousands of pounds worth hidden in secret compartments in connected residential flats.

All four premises have been instructed to shut after officers secured closure orders following the raids.

The operation was part of Brighter Broadgreen – a multi-agency initiative to tackle crime in the area.

Three of the four shops targeted were on Manchester Road, with the other on Corporation Street.

The raids were conducted jointly by Wiltshire Police, Trading Standards, HMRC, the National Crime Agency, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and Immigration Enforcement.

Three people who were arrested on the day on suspicion of selling counterfeit tobacco have since been released on bail.

The raids were just the latest conducted by authorities to disrupt the sale of illegal goods.

Neighbourhood inspector for Swindon Central South David Tippetts said the sale of counterfeit tobacco "is not simply a victimless crime".

"It has links to serious organised crime where the money raised through the sale of these products then funds other criminal activity."

He added: "Counterfeit tobacco and vapes also potentially haven't undergone the same quality assurance checks, meaning they can contain harmful amounts of tar or carbon monoxide."

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