Businesses raided in search for illicit cigs
JOINT OPERATION BY TRADING STANDARDS AND POLICE TARGETS DEALERS
POLICE and Trading Standards raided a number of premises on Freeman Street on Thursday morning.
The street was lined with police cars as officers from Operation Galaxy and Trading Standards raided a number of buildings wearing tactical gear.
The raids were part of an intelligence-led operation targeting illicit tobacco dealers.
The street has a history with illicit tobacco being sold there, including earlier this year where almost 90,000 cigarettes and 1kg of rolling tobacco were found following a raid.
At least two buildings were included in the joint search, including in Ferdawes International Foods and an empty building near to the Wine Pipe pub.
There were at least nine police vehicles involved at the scene, including a police van, undercover vehicles, a dogs unit, and sniffer dogs.
The raids caused a stir on the street, with many shoppers and shop owners coming out to see what was going on. One passerby commented on the amount of officers involved in the raid. They said: “I’m not sure why there are so many police cars here. If they are doing raids for cigarettes or something, it seems like a lot of officers.” Following the raids, police cars remained on the scene for several hours.
It is not known, as yet, how successful the raids were, with the findings yet to be confirmed by Trading Standards and Humberside Police.
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “North East Lincolnshire Council’s Trading Standards team, working with Humberside Police, have been visiting premises today as part of an intelligence-led operation targeting illicit tobacco dealers. “They visited a shop in Freeman Street in Grimsby and a number of private addresses. Officers will review their findings and follow up with enforcement action where necessary.” A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: “Humberside Police Officers working under Op Galaxy have today assisted Trading Standards as a warrant was executed at a premises on Freeman Street in Grimsby.”