Two Drake Street shops have been forced to close after trading standards officers seized thousands of illegal cigarettes, banned vapes, and hand-rolling tobacco as part of an ongoing town centre crackdown.
Rochdale Borough Council has secured court orders to close down Lazen Food Ltd and Hayati Convenience Store Ltd following the discovery of large amounts of illicit tobacco and illegal single-use vapes at both premises.
The two businesses, located at 85 and 130b Drake Street respectively, were ordered to shut for three months following enforcement action under Operation Tetbury, a joint campaign between the council and Greater Manchester Police to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in the town centre.
Hayati Convenience Store Ltd only opened in June this year and was initially registered at the same address as another recently closed shop, Polski Sklep, which was shut down two weeks earlier for similar offences.
Trading standards officers say the new business was being run by the same staff, who were seen moving stock between nearby cars and the store. Officers later seized illegal tobacco and banned vapes from the premises, some being sold for as little as £4, less than half the legal retail price.
Council investigators argued the shop’s rapid opening and use of the same staff and supply methods as Polski Sklep was a clear attempt to dodge previous enforcement. A magistrate agreed, issuing the maximum three-month closure order.
A similar order was also granted for Lazen Food Ltd, where more than 30,000 cigarettes and 15kg of hand rolling tobacco were confiscated by officers during a series of raids earlier this year.
On the day the shop was officially served its closure order, even more illegal goods were found hidden on a sofa and in a neighbouring property connected via a chute. This included further bags of illicit tobacco and unlicensed shisha.
Councillor Tricia Ayrton, deputy leader of Rochdale Borough Council and cabinet member for climate change and environment, said: “This is a fantastic outcome for our trading standards team who continue to work hard in removing illegal tobacco off our streets.
“Despite repeated warnings, these businesses continued to operate above the law and sell harmful products to our residents and we will not tolerate this.”
Inspector Meena Yasin from GMP, who oversees Operation Tetbury, added: “This is a fantastic and significant result for our community. The closure order represents our work with the council’s trading standards team to use enforcement legislation on business premises.”
Illicit tobacco includes counterfeit products, tobacco smuggled without duty, and foreign-market stock. Authorities warn that not only is it harmful to health, it also supports organised crime.
Rochdale residents with concerns about shops selling illicit tobacco or banned items are encouraged to report them to trading standards or the police.
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