Barnet Council’s Trading Standards team have seized more than £3million worth of illegal tobacco and related products after a series of raids across the borough, including Edgware.
The first set of raids targeted five businesses and a self-storage container in Finchley, Colindale, Edgware, West Hendon and Golders Green as part of Operation CeCe. Officers uncovered 3.6 tonnes of tobacco leaf stored inside 180 boxes, each weighing 20kg. It’s estimated the haul could have produced at least 72,000 pouches with a value of £3,121,200.
They also seized 4,506 cigarettes worth £65,337, 309 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco worth £13,395.15, 973 vapes worth £9,730, and 59.55kg of shisha tobacco worth £2,976.91.
Products were discovered behind false doors, hidden in vehicles, inside a safe and packed into a large storage container. The raids were supported by the Met Police, HMRC and sniffer dogs Dora and Skye, two springer spaniels aged four and six.
Just five days later, the team launched Operation Dinar, targeting an alleged organised crime group linked to illegal tobacco sales. Officers raided a smoking store in Hendon and another connected shop in Tottenham, as well as home addresses in Haringey and Ealing. Two suspects were taken into custody during the four simultaneous raids.
Officers seized 1,621 cigarettes worth £23,504.50, 2,435 vapes worth £24,350, 59 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco worth £2,557.65, 1kg of shisha worth £49.99, and more than £4,000 in cash.
Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Economy and Effective Council, said: “This work is important. Our Trading Standards Officers covertly inspect businesses on a regular basis to ensure they’re trading fairly and within the law.
“We take the health and wellbeing of our residents extremely seriously, and businesses should not be profiteering on the black market by selling products that will cause them harm.”
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