Massive Haul Of Illicit Cigarettes, Tobacco And Vapes Seized In New Milton Crackdown
Massive Haul Of Illicit Cigarettes, Tobacco And Vapes Seized In New Milton Crackdown
A joint partnership operation in New Milton has led to the seizure of illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes worth thousands of pounds.
On Wednesday 13 May, officers from Modern Slavery & Organised Immigration Crime and New Milton Neighbourhood Policing Team joined forces with Hampshire County Council Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement.
The teams visited shops in New Milton town centre following information received from the community, carrying out enforcement and compliance visits.
At one store, officers seized:
108 packets of cigarettes, equal to 2,160 cigarette sticks
14 pouches of 50g hand-rolled tobacco
115 vapes
At a second store, officers seized:
57 packets of cigarettes, equal to 1,140 cigarette sticks
15 pouches of 50g hand-rolled tobacco
Two vapes
An associated vehicle, suspected of being linked to one of the shops, was also searched.
Inside, officers found:
824 packets of cigarettes, equal to 16,480 cigarette sticks
216 pouches of 50g hand-rolled tobacco
These items were also seized.
The total high street value of the seized items, had they been sold, was £8,989.
The equivalent compliant cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco would have had a total high street value of £17,802.
PC Antony Waghorn, of MSOIC, said:
“This operation once again demonstrated our continued commitment to protecting our communities from illegal and harmful activity.
“Working alongside colleagues from Trading Standards, IE and the local Neighbourhood Policing Team, we’ve seized a significant quantity of illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes and spoken with workers to ensure their safety and welfare.
“This kind of criminality exploits people, harms local residents, and undermines legitimate businesses.
“We will continue to work together to identify those higher up the chain who profit from these offences and ensure they are held to account.
“And finally, I’d like to place on record my thanks to those members of the community, including local shoppers and workers, who came over and thanked us for our work yesterday.”
Richard Strawson, Hampshire County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, said:
“Our focus on cracking down on illegal vapes and tobacco products is paying off, with this latest operation preventing potentially dangerous products from reaching consumers.
“We were pleased to work with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police and partners, and this operation will act as a deterrent to other disreputable traders.
“We continue to urge residents to stay alert and report anything of concern, including underage sales.”
Residents are being urged to report concerns around illicit vapes, tobacco products or underage sales to the relevant authorities.
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Posted: 2026-05-15T15:51:55+0000
