Hackney Trading Standards has seized illegal and illicit goods with a retail value of more than £60,000 in a series of raids.
As well as more than 34,000 illicit cigarettes, almost 2,000 illicit vapes and several kilos of illicit hand-rolling tobacco and Shisha, Officers also found Class B and Class C Controlled substances. Counterfeit products and alcohol licensing offences were also discovered at some of the retailers.
David Hunt, CTSI joint Lead Officer for Tobacco and Vaping and Senior Trading Standards Officer at Hackney Council, said: “Working on accurate intelligence, and alongside our partners at Hackney Council and the Metropolitan Police, Hackney Trading Standards uncovered a tremendous amount of illicit goods that were being sold in our local shops.
“I’m very proud of the vital work carried out by the Trading Standards team that has improved the safety of local consumers and helped support the honest businesses that help our local economy to grow.”
It is estimated that the seized goods are worth an estimated £48,000 in unpaid tobacco duties and VAT, and would have cost the local economy more than £60,000 by undercutting law-abiding businesses.
