Counterfeit items were seized from high street shops in Plymouth this week by police and our Trading Standards officers, tackling organised crime.
Heart of the South West Trading Standards and Devon and Cornwall Police were taking part in Operation Machinize, an ongoing national operation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
This operation is specifically aimed at high street businesses that turn over a lot of cash as these can be exploited by organised criminals.
The NCA estimates that £12 billion of criminal cash is generated in the UK each year, and it can be laundered and used to fund other criminal activity.
Premises visited recently in Plymouth, Cornwall and South Devon include barbershops, vape shops, nail bars, American-themed sweet shops and car washes.
Detective Chief Inspector Glenn Willcocks said:
“One of the main aspects of Op Machinize is that it is multi-agency. Devon & Cornwall Police officers have been working alongside HMRC, Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and the fire service.
“This means that we have colleagues with relevant powers on hand if we encounter crimes other than money laundering, for instance counterfeit goods or immigration offences.”
With the assistance of Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, over £100k of counterfeit or illegal products have been seized.
This included cigarettes, tobacco and vapes and several bags full of fake Labubu style toys which had easily removable eyes and feet and could have been very dangerous if bought for a young child.
Alex Fry, Operations Manager, Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said:
“We are pleased to have worked with Devon and Cornwall Police and other agencies as part of this operation. Combatting the supply of illegal tobacco and vapes is a high priority for us.
“On this occasion we not only discovered illegal tobacco and vape products but also seized unsafe toys.
“By taking these products off the streets, we’re able to help protect our communities as well as supporting those businesses on the high street that trade legally ”.
DCI Willcocks continued:
“Op Machinize helps us not only to disrupt criminal gangs and reduce any associated antisocial behaviour or harmful activities, keeping our communities safer, but also to safeguard vulnerable people who are being exploited.
“Our specially trained officers know how to question people carefully to reveal whether they really know the town or city they have found themselves in, and don’t assume that they are engaged in criminality but may actually be victims of modern-day slavery.”
“This ongoing work is removing criminal businesses from our high streets and across the country.”