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06
Nov
Police seize £24,000 of illegal tobacco from Harrogate premises
Police have seized £24,000 worth of illegal tobacco from a premises in Harrogate as part of a county-wide crackdown on illegal working.
North Yorkshire Police raised premises over the course of two months alongside trading standards, immigration enforcement, licensing teams and fire safety officers as part of Operation Machinize.
The operation also generated intelligence and referrals to a range of agencies, including HMRC, Border Force, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and environmental health.
It comes after the Stray Ferret revealed six traders in Harrogate and Knaresborough were handed hefty fines as part of a blitz on the illegal sale of vapes, counterfeit tobacco and alcohol.
The police's countywide crackdown was part of move to disrupt criminality linked to organised immigration crime.
As part of the operation, the force visited 73 premises across the county, arrested 17 people for immigration offences and identified 19 people as working illegally who were dealt with through enforcement processes.
Meanwhile, 158 people were spoken to and safeguarding questionnaires completed to help identify potential victims of exploitation.
Significant quantities of illegal tobacco and cigarettes were seized, the force said.
Officer deployments resulted in the seizure of illegal tobacco products with an estimated value of approximately £75,000. At one premises on King Edward Drive in Harrogate, officers seized around £24,000 worth of illegal tobacco.
Chief superintendent Nikki Shimwell from North Yorkshire Police said:
Operation Machinize provides an important opportunity for us and our partners to tackle organised immigration crime, identify people who may be vulnerable to exploitation and disrupt wider criminality affecting our communities.
Over the past two months we have visited dozens of premises across North Yorkshire, spoken to more than 150 people, made arrests, carried out safeguarding activity and seized a significant quantity of illegal tobacco products.
Criminal networks often seek to profit through a range of offences, including illegal working, exploitation, money laundering and the sale of illicit goods. By working closely with Trading Standards, immigration enforcement, licensing, fire safety and other partner agencies, we can take coordinated action against those involved while protecting vulnerable people and supporting legitimate businesses.
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