£30,000 of illegal tobacco and vapes seized

Northamptonshire Police says following the warrants no arrests were made or immigration offences identified

More than £30,000 of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes have been seized from three shops as part of a crackdown on organised crime.

Northamptonshire Police said the warrants were carried out between 21 and 23 October at shops in Spencer Bridge Road, Harlestone Road and Kettering Road in Northampton.

Among the items seized were 1,620 packs of cigarettes.

Police said no arrests were made or immigration offences identified.

Alongside the force, the warrants were executed with West Northamptonshire Council Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and Border Force.

The warrants were carried out as part of Operation Machinize, which targets organised crime groups who use communities to raise funds for criminal activities in plain sight, with a focus on money laundering, immigration crime and the criminal use of cash-intensive businesses.

The searches were carried out over the course of three days and seized items included 1,620 packs of cigarettes

At a shop in Spencer Bridge Road, officers seized more than £900 in cash alongside 943 packs of cigarettes and 37 packets of tobacco.

Three white vans associated to the business were also seized.

On the second day of the warrants, at a shop on Harlestone, officers seized £3,765 in cash alongside 624 packs of cigarettes, 96 packets of tobacco and 99 vapes.

The force said the items had a retail value of £9,984, £3,960 and £495.

Carrying out a warrant at a store in Kettering Road, a further 53 packs of cigarettes and one packet of tobacco worth almost £900 were seized.