West Yorkshire Trading Standards seize £600,000 of illicit goods as they take part in Operation Machinize 2

Almost £600,000 worth of illegal goods have been seized by Trading Standards in a series of raids targeting cash-intensive high street businesses suspected of laundering criminal funds through mini-markets, vapes shops and barbershops. 

Throughout October West Yorkshire Trading Standards, working with the National Crime Agency (NCA), West Yorkshire Police and other partners, has carried out a series of operations across all five districts as part of Operation Machinize: A National Crime Agency co-ordinated crackdown on high street crime.  

In total throughout the month, Trading Standards officers seized over 450,000 illicit cigarettes, 42.5kg of illegal hand rolling tobacco and over 5,200 illegal vapes. Several other illicit items were also seized including over 250 counterfeit clothing items, unsafe counterfeit Labubu Dolls, out of date or incorrectly labelled food items, other unsafe items including cosmetic goods and a large quantity of fireworks seized by West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. Cash seizures were made at two of the shops with premises closure orders and applications to remove alcohol licences are being pursued.

The crackdown, which is part of the NCA’s continued disruption of cash being laundered in the UK, involved Trading Standards teams across the country working with their local police force and Home Office Immigration Enforcement in a nationwide response co-ordinated by the NCA.  Action taken across the country resulted in 2734 premises raided, 924 individuals arrested and over £10.7m suspected criminal proceeds seized. In addition, the raids saw the seizure of 111,000 illegal vapes, 4.5m illegal cigarettes and 622kg of illegal tobacco.  

Councillor Melanie Jones, Chair of the West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee which oversees the work of Trading Standards said, ‘The illegal sale of tobacco and vapes is a blight on our high streets which enables organised crime to prosper whilst undermining the health of our communities and impacting legitimate hard-working businesses. West Yorkshire Trading Standards involvement in this nationally coordinated operation demonstrates their commitment to working with partners to tackle crime on the high street for the benefit of our communities across West Yorkshire.’

Linda Davis, Head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards (Protecting Communities) said, “This series of collaborative action taken across West Yorkshire is designed to reinforce the message that illegal traders are not welcome on our high streets. The sale of illicit goods by high street businesses costs government millions each year in lost revenue and is unfair competition on other local retailers. We know that those involved in selling illegal tobacco and vapes are often selling these products to children too.  By taking part in this month of action and working with partners as part of Operation Machinize, we have taken a significant amount of illegal goods, including harmful tobacco and vapes off the streets of West Yorkshire, preventing them from being purchased by children and disrupting organised criminality and money laundering. We will continue to support the NCA and our partners to disrupt such organised criminality on our high streets.”

If you need to report a trader selling cheap and illicit tobacco or vapes or selling age restricted products to children, please contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 0808 223 1133 - this can be done anonymously.