Operation Machinize sees Surrey’s Trading Standards team working with partners to seize £58,075 of illegal goods from high street businesses across the county. Firms are being urged to take extra care to ensure what they sell is safe for their customers.
Operation Machinize sees Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, Surrey Police, Home Office Immigration, Department of Work and Pensions and tobacco detection dogs working together.
Teams targeted high street businesses suspected of criminal activity across Surrey.
Results include 19,740 illegal cigarettes, 8,100 grams of illegal tobacco and 7,128 illegal vapes being seized. Plus 164 illegal e-liquids and one counterfeit Labubu were taken away.
Kevin Deanus, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and Resilience said: “Operation Machinize has one simple aim: to help keep our high streets safe. And in the build up to Christmas that is more important than ever.
“I was pleased to join our Trading Standards team recently for the day in Godalming, to see their hard work in action.
“This operation demonstrates the power of collaboration in tackling organised crime and the results reflect the dedication of our teams and partners in keeping our high streets safe.”
Why Operation Machinize matters
Operation Machinize focuses on removing illegal and counterfeit goods from the high street.
Illicit and counterfeit items can be extremely dangerous because they are often made with low-quality materials. They also lack safety testing, and may contain toxic ingredients that pose significant health risks.
Trading Standards teams report that illegal goods are sold year-round.
Profits from counterfeit goods can fund other illegal activities. This includes drug dealing, money laundering and human trafficking.
As part of the operation, community engagement days also took place recently. These raise awareness and encourage reporting of counterfeit goods.
These events were held in partnership with Surrey Police, Crimestoppers and One You Surrey, that included the use of tobacco detection dogs to demonstrate how illegal goods are identified.
What can I do about illegal goods?
Trading Standards in Surrey work with businesses to stay compliant while growing confidently.
Want to understand more about their role? Well, you can sign up to attend our dedicated trading standards webinar on December 2 at 12pm.
Discover what Trading Standards does and how it supports businesses. Plus we will cover the key areas of legislation you need to know. This includes learning how to avoid common mistakes while getting introduced to the EASY 123 scheme.
Want more bespoke advice? Get in touch with us via our Business Support Form.
