A shop caught selling ‘potentially dangerous’ cigarettes in Honiton has been ordered by the court to shut down for three months amid a police sting.
Police this month teamed up with Trading Standards giving notice to the Karina Store, in Honiton High Street, after police twice seized illicit tobacco and cash.
The shop was the third in East Devon to be raided by police over the summer, then ordered to close.
In June, two Exmouth shops caught selling illegal vapes to kids were ordered to shut for three months.
Karina Store, in Honiton, ended up on the police hit list amid community concerns, prompting officers to visit, glean information, and seize goods and cash.
When police and trading standards raided the premises they found the business had tried to hide its illegal stash, however they failed to outsmart the force’s trained sniffer dog.
The shop must close for three months after a police raid with Trading Standards.
Photo: D&C Police.
Craig Amarilli, Honiton neighbourhood beat manager, 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 thirteen days and preventing further sales of potentially dangerous tobacco and vape products.”
He added: “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.”
The police closure order details.
D&C Police.
Police and Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service on July 15 served a 48-hour closure notice to Karina Store, Honiton.
Some two days later, Plymouth magistrates ordered the shop to stop trading for three months.
Also targeted and told to close were three Paignton premises and one in Torquay, totalling 29 stores across the county ordered to shut shop since September 2024.
A closure order notice in the shop window.
Photo: D&C Police.
Alex Fry, Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service operations manager, 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.”
