About 36,000 cigarettes were seized in Fishponds on Wednesday, May 13, after police, Trading Standards officers and HMRC carried out a multi-agency operation across three stores and two vehicles.

Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol City Council's Trading Standards officials and HMRC visited three shops in the area as part of the crackdown, which led to the seizure of around 8,000 cigarettes and 10 packets of tobacco from one store. That business will continue to be investigated by Trading Standards, while police said they will also look at possible licensing breaches.

HMRC seized 1,500 cigarettes from a vehicle outside a shop it was believed to be linked to, while officers later recovered 11,000 cigarettes from a suspicious vehicle reported to be used as a stash car for retailers in the area. The vehicle was seized because it was not taxed. Later still, HMRC seized around 20,000 more cigarettes from another vehicle seen driving away from the area, and that vehicle was also seized. The driver was reported for driving offences.

Police said they had received reports that the suspicious vehicle was being used to store stock for retailers in the area, which prompted the operation. A third shop was visited, but nothing was seized there. The cigarettes recovered across the day were suspected to be counterfeit or not properly duty paid.

Chief Inspector Richard Jones said the action showed officers were working to root out illegal operations and businesses suspected of criminality. He said live intelligence had led officers to intercept two vehicles believed to be carrying contraband, adding that the work was intended to protect the public from harm and keep communities safe.

Councillor Stephen Williams said the authorities would continue to act against illegal tobacco and non-compliant goods, saying they damage public health and deprive health services of funding when the correct taxes are not paid. He thanked Trading Standards and the other agencies involved for what he called another successful operation to protect residents and hold illegal businesses to account.

The Fishponds operation sits within a wider push by police, council officers and HMRC to target illegal tobacco sales and suspected criminal businesses in Bristol. Officers said members of the public had continued to raise concerns, and they want anyone with information about similar activity to keep reporting it.