£17K Worth Of Illegal Tobacco Seized By Police And Havering Trading Standards.

Around £17,300 worth of illegal hand-rolling tobacco, cigarettes, non-compliant vapes and Shisha tobacco has been taken off the borough’s streets thanks to work by Havering Council’s trading standards, enforcement teams and the Met Police.

The teams, were also joined by sniffer dogs, raided an Upminster business recently, following reports that it was selling the illegal products.

The raid on the business was part of Operation CeCe, which focuses on the sale and distribution of illicit and counterfeit tobacco products.

It is a multi-agency operation consisting of Trading Standards, HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) and Police.

The aim is to crack down on those selling and supplying counterfeit and non-compliant tobacco products and vapes. These are often linked to organised crime and can pose health risks to the public.

The business cannot be named at this time due to the ongoing investigations.

Businesses can face loss of a licence and a ban on selling tobacco, plus individuals found guilty can face substantial fines and even prosecution, with up to 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine. 

Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said:

“I would like to thank our trading standards and enforcement teams, plus the police for their actions and hard work on taking these illegal and unsafe products off the streets.

“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes and working in partnership like this, means we can continue to take the strongest action against those committing these crimes.

“We won’t tolerate anyone or any business selling illegal or counterfeit goods in our borough. We will investigate and we will take action to help make Havering safe.”

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