Around £36,000 worth of illegal vapes and tobacco has been taken off the borough’s streets thanks to work by Havering Council’s trading standards teams.
The teams, which also included enforcement officers, Havering’s S92 Police officers, plus Operation CeCe-funded sniffer dogs raided two Romford businesses recently, following reports that they were selling the illegal products.
It follows information gathered by the teams working in partnership as part of Operation CeCe.
Investigations are currently ongoing in relation to the products seized and what further action may be taken against the two businesses,
Both of which cannot be named at this time.
Helen Oakerbee, Havering’s Director of Planning and Public Protection, said:
“This is another great example of the work our trading standards and enforcement teams do, working alongside the police, to help keep our residents safe.
“We will continue to take the strongest action against those committing these crimes and won’t tolerate anyone or any business selling illegal or counterfeit goods in our borough.”
Operation CeCe is an HMRC funded operation targeting the illegal tobacco trade within the UK.
It is estimated that the UK economy losses £1.8 billion a year to this illegal activity.