Record fake fags and booze seizure in Grantham

A record seizure of around 200,000 counterfeit cigarettes and approximately 900,000 cans of beer, wine and spirts was made during a multi-agency operation in Grantham.

Lincolnshire Police Alcohol Licensing Team, working alongside HM Revenue and Customs as well as Trading Standards Officers raided storage containers at the Alma Park Industrial Estate on Rushton Road in Grantham last month.

Intelligence from the public helped the force make the largest single seizure of alcohol its ever had in the county.

Sergeant Kim Enderby from the Alcohol Licensing Team said: “This was a major operation that we had been planning for a number of months.

“Everything came together on Tuesday, November 27 with spectacular results. What started out as a single piece of intelligence supplied by a member of the public to Lincolnshire Police has resulted in the largest single seizure of alcohol we have ever had in the county.

Storage containers were raided by officers at the Alma Park Industrial Estate in Grantham. Photo: Lincolnshire Police

“The amount of alcohol seized was mindboggling; we had officers from all three agencies on site at 10am on Tuesday morning and didn’t finish counting and removing the alcohol until 3am on the morning of Wednesday, November, 28.

“The retail value of the alcohol seized runs into the hundreds of thousands and those involved in this enterprise have also evaded paying thousands of pounds in duty.

“Enquiries are on-going by both HM Revenue And Customs (HMRC) and Trading Standards, whilst my team are looking at links to stores in Grantham that we believe have bought then sold these illegal items. Any identified could ultimately lose their licence to sell alcohol.

“This demonstrates that by pooling resources we still retain the ability to take really effective actions against those individuals involved in the illicit sale of alcohol and cigarettes.

“Having all three agencies working so closely together ensures that every angle is covered, we create the maximum amount of disruption, in the shortest possible time.

“We are already looking at future potential targets, so anyone involved in this activity can expect to be raided and hit where criminals feel it the most – in their wallets.”