Honiton shop shut for illegal tobacco — one of 29 closures across Exeter and South Devon

A shop in Honiton has been ordered to close for three months after counterfeit tobacco was seized from the premises.

On Tuesday 15 July, Devon & Cornwall Police, in partnership with Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, issued a 48-hour closure notice to Karina Store in Honiton.

A full closure order was granted by Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 17 July, meaning the shop must now cease trading for three months.

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The move was part of a wider crackdown on illegal tobacco sales across the region, which has seen a total of 29 closure orders issued since September last year across Exeter, Torquay, Newton Abbot and surrounding areas of South Devon.

Four additional shops were also ordered to close last week: Palace Mini Market, Tower Store and Paignton Express in Paignton, and American Shop in Torquay.

Neighbourhood Beat Manager for Honiton, Craig Amarilli, said: “Over the last three weeks, officers have visited Karina Store alongside Trading Standards on two occasions; seizing cash and a quantity of illicit tobacco.

“I’d like to thank members of the local community who reported concerns about the shop to us. This information allowed us to build a detailed intelligence picture, and we were able to take swift action; securing a closure order within just 13 days and preventing further sales of potentially dangerous tobacco and vape products.

“Profits from criminal enterprises are often linked to organised crime groups. By taking them off of the streets, we’re able to protect our communities from unregulated products while also disrupting a wider network of criminal activity that can include the exploitation of vulnerable people.”

Alex Fry, Operations Manager at Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said: “We will support businesses that play by the rules but we have had issues with all five of these businesses with respect to illegal tobacco products and now they are unable to trade for three months.

“Each of the businesses hid the products they were selling and two of the businesses, specifically built places to conceal the products. However, our use of detection dogs ensures that these products don’t stay hidden for long.

“This is a great example of how we have worked with our partners in Devon and Cornwall Police to act on intelligence and target unscrupulous sellers.”