Tuesday, October 20, 2026
We have seized cigarettes and tobacco products worth thousands of pounds during a proactive operation targeting businesses suspected of flouting the law across Lancashire.
As part of Operation Wanderstar, officers have also seized counterfeit Labubu dolls, fidget toys and phone cases, and issued closure notices to several businesses linked to the sale of illicit cigarettes.
Some of the illegal items were stashed inside hidden compartments and found by tobacco detection dogs, while others came following community intelligence.
Working with our colleagues from Lancashire Trading Standards, Immigration Enforcement and HMRC, our Economic Crime Unit (ECU) and local neighbourhood policing teams visited 30 premises across three days in Preston, Chorley, South Ribble, Blackburn, Pendle, Blackpool, Morecambe, Lytham and Thornton-Cleveleys.
Tuesday 13 October
• We attended eight shops, two barber shops and one takeaway in Blackburn and Pendle. Items were seized at four shops while two failed test purchases. A total of 835 packets of illicit cigarettes, 109 packets of hormone replacement therapy, 35 counterfeit phone cases, seven counterfeit Labubu dolls and 20 counterfeit fidget toys were also seized.
• As a result of the activity, two closure notices were issued to shops, and four more closure orders are being sought.
• A cease-and-desist order was issued to Parkinson Convenience Store in Parkinson Street, Blackburn, after 1,537 illicit cigarettes and 600g of tobacco worth approximately £2,000 were found. A fine of £2,500 has also been issued by HMRC.
Wednesday 14 October
• A warrant was executed at Marsden Mini Market in Marsden Road, Blackpool. We seized 80 packets of illicit cigarettes in a bag thrown from a window along with another 350 packets from a vehicle.
• At Corner Shop in The Crescent, Lytham, 70 packs of illicit were recovered.
• We attended Blue Vape in Queen Street, Morecambe, and seized 180 packets of illicit cigarettes. A verbal notice of a closure order has also been served.
• We seized 70 sleeves of illicit cigarettes worth more than £1,000 at Shop Locally in Dickson Road, Blackpool.
• At Elin Mini Market in Waterloo Road, Blackpool, we seized approximately 10 packets of illicit cigarettes.
• At West End Mini Market in Regent Road, Morecambe, we seized 450 packets of illicit cigarettes.
• At Mini Market in Victoria Road West, Thornton-Cleveleys, we seized 120 packets of illicit cigarettes.
Thursday 15 October
• At Eastern European Convenience Store in Friargate, Preston, we seized 49 packets of illicit cigarettes and seven pouches of tobacco after the owner attempted to throw it over a rear wall onto wasteland behind the shop.
• We seized approximately 500 packets of illicit cigarettes and tobacco pouches at Big Saver in New Hall Lane, Preston, after being discovered in a hide.
• We attended Grab & Go in Hope Terrace, Lostock Hall, and seized 236 illicit packets of cigarettes and 36 pouches of tobacco. The haul was located by a Trading Standards dog in a bin area following community intelligence.
• At Easy Shop in Chapel Brow, Leyland, approximately 500 packets of cigarettes and tobacco pouches were discovered in a hide in the shop following a find by Trading Standards tobacco dog.
• At International in Station Road, Bamber Bridge, cigarettes and tobacco pouches were found in a hide behind a cupboard. The panel was removed by baton/crowbar and illicit tobacco discovered.
• We attended Supercigs in Pall Mall, Chorley, and seized 191 packets of illicit cigarettes and 33 pouches of tobacco hidden within boxes of canned pop. A verbal notice of a closure order has also been served.
• At Sweet & Shop in Market Street, Chorley, illicit tobacco was recovered from a hide following a find by Trading Standards tobacco dog. A verbal notice of a closure order has also been served.
Operation Wanderstar comes under the banner of the National Crime Agency’s Operation Machinize - a national campaign aimed at the disruption of cash being laundered in the UK.
Report it online via https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/PEDisclaimer/Create or call 101.