Illegal goods worth £280k netted in city shop raids

One of the shops visited by police was in Whittlesey, while the rest were in Peterborough

A three-week police crackdown operation netted almost £280,000 of illegal goods from shops, including vapes, cigarettes and alcohol.

Cambridgeshire Police and other authorities visited 36 businesses which regularly handled cash across Peterborough and Whittlesey.

During October, they seized more than 8,000 suspected illegal vapes, while more than 8,500 bottles of alcohol were confiscated from unlicensed premises.

Det Insp Shish Thind said: "It sends a clear message that we will not tolerate criminal activity hiding behind cash-rich businesses."

The raids were part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) coordinated action, in which £10.7m criminal proceeds seized, according to the NCA

As well as money laundering, the operation looked at exploitation, human trafficking, drug supply and illegal working.

Barber shops and hand car washes were also visited as part of the operation to identify any offending or signs of modern slavery.

Police said six drug-related arrests were made, and investigations were continuing, while closure orders were being sought in relation to 11 shops found to be selling illegal goods.

In addition, 280,000 cigarettes and 20kg (44lb) of hand-rolled tobacco were also seized from the shops.

Christian Hogg, Peterborough City Council's cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, said: "We would encourage anyone who has any knowledge of suspected illegal alcohol and tobacco sales to report it to Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Trading Standards - reports can be made anonymously."

The work was part of Operation Machinize 2, a National Crime Agency coordinated action to tackle money laundering and the criminal use of cash-intensive high street businesses.