Four premises closed and large quantities of illicit tobacco seized in Widnes

Officers in Widnes have seized 80,000 cigarettes and 22kg of illicit tobacco and have secured the closure of four premises as part of an ongoing multi agency operation.

Operation Azalea is a proactive, force wide initiative involving a range of partner agencies, to target the sale of illegal vapes, tobacco and cigarettes, as well as immigration offences linked to the exploitation of vulnerable people.

On Monday 16 March, officers from Widnes Beat, Protecting Vulnerable People, and the Foreign National Offender Unit, with support from HMRC, carried out coordinated warrants at four business premises.

During the operation, officers recovered 80,000 cigarettes, 22kg of illicit tobacco and a quantity of cash.

As a result of the investigation, four retail premises have been issued with three month closure orders:
• 71 Albert Road, Widnes
• 71a Albert Road, Widnes
• 115 Albert Road, Widnes
• 152 Widnes Street, Widnes

Sergeant Steven Sanson, of Widnes LPU, said: “This is a great result which reflects a significant amount of work undertaken by the team here at Widnes, along with support from our partner agencies.

“I hope these closure orders, and the significant quantity of illicit products recovered, reassures residents of our commitment to protecting our communities and ensuring those who break the law are held accountable.

“We would continue to ask anyone with information about the sale of illicit products to report it so we can work together with our partners to tackle this issue.”