Illegal tobacco business closed
AN illegal tobacco peddling operation in Middlesbrough has been shut down for the second time in a month.
Trading Standards officers from Middlesbrough Council secured a three-month closure order against the Vegas convenience store, on Abingdon Road, on March 5. The shop – and a residential flat above it – had been used for prolific sales of illicit tobacco.
However, the perpetrators simply moved their black market operation to nearby Pshdar, on Waterloo Road. Trading Standards officers closed the business down again, securing a further three-month closure against Pshdar at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The court heard how the illicit tobacco business involved multiple people, premises, and vehicles, with evidence including seizures and test purchases from joint enforcement by Trading Standards and HMRC.
The probe was part of a national Trading Standards initiative – codenamed Operation CeCe – set up to disrupt the illicit trade and take illegal tobacco off the streets. Judith
Hedgley, the council’s head of public protection, said: “This result sends a message to the illicit tobacco sellers that trading standards are watching, they will track you down and bring you to justice.”
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke added: “This dangerous trade has clear links to organised crime, and we will do everything in our power stamp it out.
“It not only blights communities by driving up crime and anti-social behaviour, but puts people’s health at risk and damages legitimate businesses. It’s indefensible, and we will continue to work with our partners to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”