Croydon Council has shut a town centre shop for selling illegal tobacco and vapes. Stop and Shop in Church Street will not be able to reopen for three months after the South London council obtained a closure order.
It was first reported after a resident bought a suspected counterfeit packet of cigarettes. The council’s trading standards team then carried out numerous test purchases and raids, each time seizing sizeable quantities of illicit goods.
Stop and Shop failed to stop selling the illegal products, the council said. Raids, which involved search dogs, found the shop housed purpose-built hidden compartments to store hundreds of illegal tobacco products.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “This closure was brought about by the Council’s award winning trading standards team in another great result tacking criminality in Croydon.
“Criminals operating in Croydon damage reputable businesses’ trade as well as potentially damaging residents’ health. We will continue to work with other law enforcement partners where necessary to find and close down criminal gangs operating within the borough.”
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