Illegal Tobacco Products Seized in Cambridge County Shop Raid
According to a report from the British media Cambridge-News on April 29th, a food store in Cambridgeshire, England was found with thousands of illegal cigarettes and e-cigarettes and was forced to cease operations. Many residents reported the store for allegedly selling illegal e-cigarettes and tobacco products, leading to consecutive closures by the trading standards department and the police.
According to a report in the Chinese-English Times in January of this year, EuroFood, a European food store located in Peterborough, closed on April 25 after an investigation by the trading standards team of the Peterborough City Council. The closure will last for three months. This investigation was conducted after the store had been inspected multiple times and the public had reported the store to the trading standards department and the police multiple times.
According to reports, Peterborough Magistrates' Court has issued a closure order for the store, following a surprise inspection by the trade standards department. The inspection resulted in the seizure of approximately 35,000 illegal cigarettes and 3,500 illegal e-cigarettes.
In August 2023, a series of raids resulted in the seizure of approximately 4,400 illegal cigarettes and 2,000 illegal e-cigarettes. In January 2024, a raid led to the seizure of around 5,600 illegal cigarettes and 900 illegal e-cigarettes, while another operation resulted in the seizure of 24,600 illegal cigarettes and 621 illegal e-cigarettes.
Joanne Smith, head of the consumer protection team at the Trading Standards Department in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, stated, "The closure orders issued today will have an immediate and far-reaching impact on European food stores. This is the first time we have used such orders to crack down on illegal tobacco products, sending a clear message to criminal gangs behind it that Peterborough will not tolerate the sale of illegal tobacco products.
According to reports, the store has been inspected multiple times and the public has reported to trade standard departments and police multiple times that it is selling illegal e-cigarettes and tobacco products, leading to it ultimately being issued a closure order.
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