Suspected involvement in ongoing illegal tobacco sales has seen the closure of a Middlesbrough shop extended by three months.
HM Revenue & Customs originally swooped on the Bucharest Mini Market on Parliament Road in February as part of a multi-agency crackdown.
The raid, backed by Middlesbrough Council Trading Standards, led to the seizure of 7,620 illicit cigarettes and 250g of hand-rolling tobacco.
Teesside Magistrates ordered the closure of the premises in April to prevent crime and disorder.
Read more: 'They were just in bits': Dance kids left stranded for 26 hours at airport abroad
The court this week (Monday, July 11) issued a three-month extension to the closure order after evidence from Trading Standards showed that proposed alternative proprietors for the shop also had established links to the sale of illicit tobacco.
The investigation and enforcement work by Trading Standards and HMRC is part of a national trading standards initiative code named Operation Cece, which is playing a significant role in disrupting the illicit trade and helping to take illegal tobacco off the streets.
Judith Hedgley, head of public protection at Middlesbrough Council, said: “Extending the closure order on this retail premises shows that the Courts take the sale of illicit tobacco very seriously.
“Our trading standards team will continue to take action where concerns about illicit tobacco are raised and when our investigations identify those responsible for selling illegal tobacco products.
“This case and others like it should also be a warning to landlords that they need to take care when renting out their properties otherwise they could lose months of rental income if their property is ordered to shut.
“Landlords who are implicated in the sale of illicit products or who are complicit in this trade, such as receiving income from criminal activities, could themselves be liable to enforcement action, including their assets seized under proceeds of crime laws.”
Read more: Police looking for a car following series of burglaries in North East town
Councillor David Coupe, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member with responsibility for public protection, said: “Selling illicit tobacco will not be tolerated.
“It has links to serious organised crime, it undermines measures to reduce the prevalence of smoking and increases health inequalities.
“It is also the main source of tobacco to children, which is a shocking situation.”
Anyone aware of illicit tobacco being supplied from any business or residential premises in Middlesbrough is asked to report it to the Trading Standards hotline on 01642 728223 or email EHTS@middlesbrough.gov.uk
--
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here