Immigration officers arrested two men, one from Pakistan and one from Afghanistan, during a raid on a shop in Grantham.[1] Police said the two men were liable to be removed from the UK.[2] A civil penalty referral notice was issued to the employer at Toor Superstore in Grantham for illegally employing one of the men.[2]

Lincolnshire Police, Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement inspected three businesses in Grantham and one in Bourne on 23 July.[1] The names of only one of the four businesses were made public at that stage.[2] At one of the Grantham shops, a delivery of cannabis plants arrived while officers were on the site, and the plants were seized.[1]

At a shop in Bourne, officers found suspected illegal cigarettes and cannabis vapes hidden in a large rucksack in a nearby vehicle with blacked-out windows.[2] One of the shop workers had a key to the vehicle, and Trading Standards seized the products for further investigation.[1]

Sgt Lee Mayfield said the aim was to take action against a range of offences, disrupt those involved and help keep communities safe.[1] The force said the operation was part of work against organised crime groups using some Lincolnshire shops as a front for illegal tobacco and vape sales.[2] Alex McGonigle, the county council’s executive councillor for community safety, said targeted businesses were 14 times more likely to sell vapes to under-18s than legitimate shops.[1] McGonigle said vapes containing cannabis had also increased, and the council was working with schools to help young people identify them.[1] Police said cannabis vapes were illegal and could contain unknown ingredients, including harmful chemicals.[1]