Illegal vapes and cigarettes seized from Powys shop 'hides'
An operation that targeted stores in Newtown, Welshpool, Llanymynech and Brecon saw illegal tobacco and vape products seized from three Powys shops on Wednesday, July 2.
Police said sophisticated hides were found in the stores to conceal the illegal products, with some of them being operated by hidden electromagnets.
Each was found to contain large amounts of suspected illegal cigarettes, hand rolling tobacco and vapes, police added.
One of the stores was also licensed to sell alcohol and the retailed has now been reported to the licensing authority for review.
A person with no right to work in the UK was also found serving at a shop by the team.
Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for Legal and Regulatory Services, said: 'This is a very good example of collaborative working across several services to protect the local economy. The sale of illicit tobacco is linked to the commission of fraud, money laundering offences and duty evasion.
'We want to keep our communities safe from these illicit activities so that legitimate local businesses are not undermined.'
The operation, hosted by Powys County Council, was conducted to support the national initiative known as Operation CeCe, a collaboration between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and National Trading Standards to prevent the sale of illegal tobacco.
The Operation CeCe Wales Regional Investigation Team, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and Dyfed Powys Police Neighbourhood Policing Teams also supported the operation.
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