Three men have been arrested and a further 40,000 illicit cigarettes and 300 vapes have been seized as the crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade intensifies.
The dangerous products were discovered during raids at Market Azadi and The Fruit Shop in Boston on Friday 13 March 2026.
Further cigarettes were seized from a house and vehicle on Castle Street.
Three men, aged 26, 32, and 37 were arrested.
The seizure is the latest success story from Operation Nivada – a partnership between Lincolnshire Trading Standards, Lincolnshire Police and Home Office Immigration and Enforcement to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco products across the county.
Cllr Alex McGonigle, Executive Councillor for Community Safety at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Every single illegal cigarette we remove from our communities is a victory that protects the safety of our residents, so to seize 40,000 in a single day is a brilliant result.
“Not only does the sale of these products contribute to anti-social behaviour and bankroll organised crime, the cigarettes themselves are a hazard, and a leading cause of house fires.
“I am incredibly grateful to our partners at Lincolnshire Police who continue to prioritise this essential work. By working together, we can ensure we act swiftly and decisively to stub out this criminal activity wherever it rears its ugly head.”
Thanks to this effective partnership working almost 900,000 illegal cigarettes, 4,600 illegal vapes and 370kg of hand rolling tobacco has been seized by Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police since January 2025.
Boston Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant, Will Robson, added: “This was another excellent example of how our partnership with our Trading Standards colleagues is essential to how we protect our communities every day. Their expertise and intelligence feed directly into our daily policing activity, helping us tackle anti‑social behaviour, disrupt criminal enterprises, and safeguard vulnerable residents.
“By working side by side, we’re able to respond more effectively, take proactive action, and ensure that issues affecting our neighbourhoods are addressed quickly and robustly. This collaboration strengthens our ability to keep people safe and reinforces the shared commitment both teams have to improving community safety and wellbeing.”
