Key Highlights
- Operation Wanderstar: countywide crackdown on illicit cigarettes and vapes.
- 22 shops raided; goods worth £200K seized.
- 6 arrests for fraud, immigration, and weapon offences.
- 3 shops closed, bank accounts frozen (£300K total).
- Part of NCA’s Operation Machinize anti–money laundering drive.
2Firsts, October 29, 2025 — According to Lancashire Police, officers have seized almost £200,000 worth of illicit cigarettes and vapes, arrested six people, and temporarily closed three stores during coordinated raids across the county as part of Operation Wanderstar.
Over the past several weeks, officers searched 22 business premises in Nelson, Blackburn, Oswaldtwistle, Lancaster, Morecambe, and Preston, working alongside Trading Standards, Immigration Enforcement, and the Economic Crime Unit (ECU).
Findings included counterfeit cash, hidden tobacco compartments, and a machete recovered from one Nelson shop.
At The American Sweet Shop in Nelson, police seized £120,000 in illegal tobacco and cigarettes.
At 7 Days Blackburn Ltd, officers found 14,000 counterfeit cigarette packets and 3kg of tobacco.
At Preston Saver and Ezee Shop in Preston, £18,000 in illicit products were seized.
Two bank accounts — one with £300,000, another with £14,000 — were frozen pending investigation.
Detective Inspector Libby Wadsworth of the ECU said the crackdown targets “businesses profiting illegally at the expense of public safety.”
Councillor Joshua Roberts of Lancashire County Council said: “This sends a strong message that we will continue to take robust enforcement action against traders breaking the law.”
Operation Wanderstar is part of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Machinize, aimed at tackling cash-based money laundering and illicit trade.
Image source: Lancashire Police
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