Operation Etone cracks down on high street “dodgy shops”
Warwickshire County Council and its partners have carried out the largest co-ordinated operation of its kind in the county to tackle the illegal trade of tobacco and vapes.
The operation has removed harmful products from local communities and disrupted organised criminal activity.
Operation Etone took place over three days and brought together 15 Warwickshire Trading Standards officers and approximately 25 Warwickshire Police officers.
The operation began with a multi-agency public engagement day in Nuneaton town centre, followed by two days of targeted enforcement activity.
The premises raided were primarily mini marts, where intelligence indicated the continued supply of illegal tobacco and vaping products. As a result of the operation, six business closure notices were served.
Since the operation, four of the businesses have been through the courts, resulting in their successful closure for up to three months while further investigations take place.
Other businesses have seen their leases forfeited and the properties taken back into the possession of their landlords.
One business director was arrested at court for an outstanding warrant relating to offences in Luton.
Significant quantities of illicit goods were seized, including 16,280 cigarettes (equivalent to 814 packs), 67 packs of hand rolling tobacco and 853 vapes, with a combined estimated value of £20,950.
The seizures and business closures represent a major step in reducing the availability of harmful and unregulated products on Warwickshire’s streets.
Councillor George Finch, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said:
“These dodgy shops are a cancer on our high streets. They are not harmless businesses just selling a few cheap cigarettes under the counter. They are often fronts for organised criminal gangs, selling dangerous and unregulated products, employing people illegally and funnelling their profits into wider criminal activity.
“They prey on our communities, target young people and undercut the honest traders who work hard, pay their taxes and employ people legally.
“For years criminals have behaved as though they can set up shop in our towns and operate with impunity. Operation Etone shows that those days are coming to an end in Warwickshire.
“We are not interested in empty warnings. We are closing premises, seizing illegal goods, pursuing those responsible and cutting off the profits that keep these criminal networks alive.”
Criminals increasingly use so-called “dodgy shops” as a cover for serious organised crime, including illegal employment practices, which undermine legitimate businesses and threaten the future of local retail.
The presence of such activity is one of the most significant risks facing Warwickshire’s high streets today.
The operation demonstrates the strength of partnership working across Warwickshire. Trading Standards worked closely with Warwickshire Police and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to identify and take action against offenders.
Councillor Finch continues:
“My message to anyone involved in this trade is simple: you are not welcome in Warwickshire. Whether you are selling illegal tobacco, using illegal workers or using our high streets to support organised immigration crime, we will come after you.
“We will work with the police, borough councils, landlords and every available enforcement agency to drive these criminals out of our high streets.
“This operation will reassure residents and legitimate businesses that we are firmly on their side.
“We will defend our town centres, protect young people and ensure that those who profit from crime face the consequences.”
By working together, Safer Warwickshire partners across the county are committed to clamping down on illicit trade, protecting communities, and supporting a fair and thriving local economy.
At the start of June, Warwickshire County Council launched its forward-thinking Crime Awareness and Prevention Programme (CAPP), building on work already being delivered by Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board partners, responding to the experiences of local residents to help them feel safer in their communities.
Through the CAPP initiative, work is being recalibrated to create safer communities, with targeted action against crime and anti-social behaviour.
