ALMOST 1,500 illegal vapes and more than 1,000 illicit cigarettes were seized from a shop in Grimethorpe as part of a huge crackdown involving South Yorkshire Police, Barnsley Council and Trading Standards.
The work was part of Operation Machinize, the ongoing National Crime Agency-coordinated operation to tackle money laundering and criminal use of cash-intensive high street businesses.
The business, in Grimethorpe, was visited by officers on October 15 and almost 1,500 illegal vapes and over 1,100 packets of counterfeit cigarettes were discovered on the premises.
Illegal vapes’ prominence has climbed dramatically in Barnsley, leading to several notable prosecutions prior to this operation.
New licensing laws vowed to root out rogue operators, give enforcement officers stronger powers to shut them down and protect legitimate retailers.
Detective Inspector Joe Hackworthy said: “This partnership operation has led to thousands of potentially harmful counterfeit goods seized, reaffirming our commitment to ensure the safety of our local communities.
“This operation was not only about targeting businesses used as covers for criminality, but showing legitimate businesses that we are taking action against those who are selling counterfeit products.
“A number of people have been arrested during this operation for a range of offences.
“The success is down to a partnership-led approach - we share valuable intelligence with one another and it allows for days of action allowing us to focus on issues that affect our local communities.
“If you see something that is not quite right, we urge you to report it to us, or through Crimestoppers if you don’t want to talk to us directly and wish to stay anonymous.”
Figures show no illegal vapes were seized in the town in 2020 or 2021, while just 13 were confiscated in 2022.
However, the surge snowballed from that point, with more than 12,000 seized in the following two years.
Rachael Herbert, deputy director of the National Economic Crime Centre at the NCA, added: “Operation Machinize targeted high street businesses being used as cover for a whole range of criminality, all across the country.
“We have seen links to drug trafficking and distribution, organised immigration crime, modern slavery and human trafficking, firearms, and the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes.
“We know cash-intensive businesses are used as fronts for money laundering, facilitating some of the highest harm and highest impact offending in the UK.
“We co-ordinate UK-wide action and lead cross-system efforts to make our financial system more resilient.
“The excellent results from Operation Machinize are testament to the tireless work of officers across the country, and demonstrate our resolve to clamp down on organised criminality abusing the high street.”
Security Minister and Barnsley North MP Dan Jarvis said: “High street crime undermines the confidence of our communities and I am determined to take the decisive action necessary to bring those responsible to justice.
“This successful operation highlights the scale and complexity of the criminality our towns and cities face and demonstrates our collective determination to make our streets safer, a key pillar of this government’s ‘Plan For Change’.
“We will continue to support the NCA, and other law enforcement partners, as we make the UK an even more hostile environment for organised crime.”
Councillor Wendy Cain, cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, said the council’s ‘fully committed’ to tackling the issue.
“While all tobacco poses significant health risks, unregulated tobacco and vapes often include additional substances and contaminants, which can endanger the health and safety of our residents,” she added.
This outcome clearly demonstrates our commitment to taking action against those who sell illegal tobacco and vapes in our borough. I’d like to thank our regulatory services as well as South Yorkshire Police for their dedication to keeping our communities safe and making this successful operation possible.”
