These properties will be closed for the next three months.
On Tuesday 1 October, in a planned operation between Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police, shops in Boston and Lincoln were targeted following reports that they were selling counterfeit tobacco products.
Those reports were confirmed during the raids, and officers seized the illicit products. At Lincoln Magistrates Court on Thursday 3 October, full closure orders were issued for each of these premises:
- Dubai Market, 30 West Street, Boston
- Best for 1, 1 St George's Street, Boston
- PhD 50A High Street, Lincoln
Andy Wright, Principal Lincolnshire Trading Standards Officer, said:
“This is the latest round of shop closures in the Boston and Lincoln areas. Sellers of these goods are extremely persistent. My officers are currently conducting separate investigations into the criminal offences that were the subject of these closure orders.
“The sale of these goods undermines the interests of law-abiding retailers whose prosperity is hindered by these criminals. Premises selling counterfeit good commonly employ people with no legal right to work in the UK. It is often found that people working in these shops have been trafficked and coerced into criminality by those focused on profit making. The people who are driving these sorts of schemes are often not in the shops themselves. The people within the shops are quite often victims in their own right.
“Lincolnshire Trading Standards will continue to work closely with police across the county.”
T/Inspector Ian Cotton of Boston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said:
“During the numerous engagements with our community, residents have expressed concerns about the products being sold and the anti-social behaviour associated with these premises. We assessed the problem and we have been collaborating with multiple agencies in the background, to gather the appropriate evidence to achieve these closure orders granted by Lincoln Magistrates’ Court.”
“Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams across the county, along with our partners, are resolute in our determination to disrupt this destructive criminality in line with our current policing plan and priorities.
“We urge you to take advantage of any opportunity to speak to us about any concerns you may have in relation to the sale of illicit tobacco and vapes, be that via community engagements or using the contact details on our quarterly newsletters which are found on our website. While you may not always see immediate action being taken, rest assured your concerns and vital information are noted, and worked with in the background.”
Neighbourhood Inspector Dan Gilmore for Lincoln North East said: “This is the 14th closure for Lincoln in the last 12 months. If the shops continue to flout the law, we will continue to work with Trading Standards to close them down.”
It is deemed that making a closure order was necessary to prevent further criminal activity on the premises. These orders last for three months and are in place until midnight on 2 January 2024.
The order prohibits anyone from remaining on or entering the property, with a very few exceptions. Anyone breaking this legal order is liable for arrest and could receive up to 51 weeks in prison, a fine, or both.