Trading Standards Officers at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham have made “the biggest seizure of illegal cigarettes in local history” according to the council, with more than 60,000 cigarettes, packs of hand-rolling tobacco and disposable vapes being removed from a business with suspected links to organised crime.
Milan Market has now been closed down (image credit: Hammersmith & Fulham Trading Standards)
When Hammersmith & Fulham Senior Trading Standards Officer Doug Love made a routine visit to the Milan Market convenience store on King Street with a colleague, he says they were ‘shocked’ to discover shelves filled with illegal goods. Illegal and illicit goods were also hidden around the shop.
When questioned, a member of staff gave false identity details and was unable to explain why the items were on sale.
“Investigations found that the retailer was part of a suspected organised crime group,” said Love. “It’s important to show that such businesses are not welcome in our borough.”
The individuals operating the shop, which has now been closed, had given bogus details to the owner of the premises, who has now changed the locks and thanked H&F Council for evicting the trader.
“I’m very grateful to the council officers who empowered me to reclaim my shop,” he said. “I’d have been unsure what to do without their advice.”
Further checks revealed that the person named on the shop lease is also being investigated by Trading Standards Officers in Lancashire.
Large quantities of snacks were also seized when the shop was shut down, which have been donated to local food banks.
Councillor Rebecca Harvey, Hammersmith & Fulham Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, praised the work of Love and his team. “I was delighted to see Trading Standards act to remove a business that was not only a clear threat to the public’s health but also trading in vast quantities of illegal goods in the high street,” she said. “This is part of our work to make H&F safer for everyone.”
