Three stores have been shut down after Barnet Council’s Trading Standards team seized nearly £50,000 in illicit smoking and vaping products in a single day of action.
The closure notices were served on venues including Adam’s Smoke Shop on the A5 High Street in Edgware, where a sophisticated hydraulic lift had been installed beneath the flooring. The device, operated by small remote control, contained a series of shelves, packed full of illicit cigarettes.
Illicit products were seized from its premises on four occasions in a single month after the business sold them to undercover officers twice. This was even after Barnet’s Trading Standards team found their underfloor lift, smashed through its shelves and seized a huge haul of illicit cigarettes. By the time Officers had finished their work, they’d seized 1,400 packets of illicit cigarettes, nearly 1,000 disposable vapes and a haul of shisha tobacco from the store.
The owners of Adam’s Smoke Shop have now been served with a three-month closure notice. Hadley Local in Barnet’s High Street and Buy To Save Express in Friern Barnet Road have been given the same penalty after a day-long sting by the council. Trading Standards Officers seized £47,773 of illicit cigarettes, vapes, shisha and hand-rolling tobacco during the snare on Friday 30 May.
Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Economy and Effective Council, said: “These businesses have shown a total disregard for the law. We caught them trading in illicit goods time and time again. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from Barnet’s businesses.
“Our Trading Standards officers regularly conduct test purchases to ensure the borough’s shops are trading fairly and not dealing in illegal or counterfeit goods. Barnet should be a safe place for everyone and traders should not be making a quick buck at residents’ expense.
“We hope that our actions show the residents and local community that we are dealing with organised crime in an appropriate manner.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
