ILLEGAL vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco worth £15,000 have been seized by police in Rugby.
Police officers from the Rugby Safer Neighbourhood Team visited businesses across the town during a pre-planned initiative known as Operation Helford.
They were joined by partners including Trading Standards, Rugby Borough Council, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE), the mobile enforcement team from His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and specialist search dogs from The Nose Knows K9 team.
One person was arrested for overstaying their visa, £36,000 in unpaid VAT was identified across the seizures, and one business was issued a notification of a £45,000 civil penalty.
Rugby Town North Beat manager PC James Bonsor, who led the operation, said: “We’re committed to addressing community concerns and will continue to work closely with our partners to tackle those involved in the illicit sale of these products and other immigration-related offences.
“The day of action was a great opportunity for us to speak to local businesses and remind them that hiring people without the right to work in the UK can result in serious financial and legal consequences for them.
“We also reiterated their responsibility to comply with appropriate health and safety regulations to protect not only their staff but also members of the public.
“If you see anything that doesn’t look right or you have information that can help us, please report it via our website or 101.”
