Boston shop ordered to shut down over illicit cigarettes and vapes

A Boston shop in Lincolnshire was ordered to close for three months following the discovery of a huge haul of illicit cigarettes and vapes in a secret hide in a ceiling, stated recent reports.

According to local reports, Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (14) has issued a closure order on the EuroPlus store in West Street in Boston following the discovery of 10,400 illicit cigarettes, 3kg of illicit hand rolling tobacco and 324 illegal vapes in a secret hide in a ceiling.

The haulage, including illicit cigarettes hidden in the ceiling, was detected by sniffer dogs.

According to Lincolnshire Police, “one of the best noses in the business” detected a hide in the ceiling of the premises, within which were illicit cigarettes. These hides are controlled electronically and installed at great expense, said the police.

“This should send a strong message, there is nowhere you can hide these illicit goods that cannot be detected by these brilliant animals. We will continue to work with our partners to close these shops as long as current legislation allows, offering a fair chance to the honest business owners of Boston."

Reports quoted Andy Wright, senior trading standards officer, to state that the shop premise is leased by tenants.

"Whilst the shops remain closed, we will work with landlords to ensure criminal activity does not continue once the premises re-opens. If that doesn’t happen, we will have little hesitation in asking for an extension to the closure," Wright said.