Tobacco and vapes seized in Finchley, Edgware and Hendon.

Trading Standards officials confiscated over three tonnes of tobacco and other items worth more than £3 million during a series of raids.

The seizures were carried out by Barnet Council’s Trading Standards team and featured hand-rolling tobacco and related items.

They occurred as part of an operation that targeted five businesses and a self-storage container in Finchley, Colindale, Edgware, West Hendon and Golders Green.

Officers uncovered 3.6 tonnes of tobacco leaf stashed in 180 boxes, each weighing 20kg—equivalent to 72,000 pouches—and valued at £3,121,200.

Over three tonnes of illegal tobacco uncovered in north London crackdown (Image: Barnet Council)

Additional materials seized included 4,506 cigarettes valued at £65,337 and 309 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco worth £13,395. 15, 973 vapes worth £9,730, including 59kg of shisha tobacco. Cllr Barry Rawlings, leader of Barnet Council, stated:

“This work is critical. “Our Trading Standards officials conduct undercover inspections of firms on a regular basis to verify that they are trading fairly and within the law.

“We take the health and wellbeing of our residents extremely seriously, and businesses should not be profiteering on the black market by selling products that will cause them harm.”

Illicit commodities were discovered stashed behind false doors, in two vehicles, a safe, and a large self-storage container near one of the sites.

The Met Police, HMRC, and two trained sniffer dogs all assisted with the operation.

Five days later, Trading Standards officers began Operation Dinar, which targeted an alleged organised crime gang.

They searched a smoking business in Hendon and a shop related to it in Tottenham, following intelligence gleaned from a previous operation in September.

Officers also raided two suspects’ houses in Haringey and Ealing, and both were arrested.

They seized 1,621 cigarettes valued at £23,504.50, 2,435 vapes for £24,350, 59 packets of hand-rolling tobacco worth £2,557.65, 1kg of shisha worth £49.99, and more than £4,000 cash.

Trading Standards and the police will examine a wide range of enforcement actions against persons and businesses.

This includes the possibility of prosecuting, issuing closure orders against problematic premises, and other actions pending further inquiry.

They remind traders that real tobacco products must be in plain packaging, and that vapes are defined as any reusable device, including those that are rechargeable, refillable, or have replaceable components.

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