Three people were arrested after a Coventry enforcement operation targeting high street stores suspected of selling illegal goods and being linked to wider criminal activity.
Operation Stance saw officers visit shops in Coundon, Foleshill and Barras Green, with Coventry Council Trading Standards seizing counterfeit goods, illegal tobacco and vapes. Police said the activity was part of work to tackle organised crime, exploitation, anti-social behaviour and violence connected to illicit trading.
The operation was carried out last week by the Serious Organised Crime and Exploitation team, supported by a dog unit, drones team and council trading standards officers.
Drugs, tobacco and vapes seized
During the visits, officers seized hundreds of counterfeit items, illegal tobacco products and illegal vapes from high street stores.
After an alert from police dog Lucky, officers also found and seized more than 140 bags of Class B drugs from one store. Two men were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.
A third man was later arrested for immigration offences.
The seizures will now be reviewed by Coventry Council Trading Standards. The council said officers will seek closure orders against stores found to be selling illegal goods.
The latest action follows wider enforcement against illicit tobacco and unsafe retail activity in the city, including a previous Coventry shop closure linked to illegal tobacco and unsafe goods. Similar closure action has also been taken elsewhere in the country, including Liverpool shops shut after hidden tobacco sales were uncovered.
Coundon, Foleshill and Barras Green stores visited
The operation focused on high street stores in three Coventry areas: Coundon, Foleshill and Barras Green.
Police and council officers said illicit sales are not treated as minor retail breaches because counterfeit tobacco, illegal vapes and other goods can be tied to organised criminal networks. The activity can also undercut legitimate independent businesses that follow trading laws and age-restricted sales rules.
Sgt Kelly Eaves, who works on the exploitation team, said the illegal sale of counterfeit cigarettes, vapes and other goods was “not harmless or low-level crime”.
She said it undermines lawful independent businesses and is often linked to “wider organised criminality including the exploitation of vulnerable people, violence and anti-social behaviour”.
“Our priority is keeping the people of Coventry safe and supporting the local businesses that do the right thing every day,” Sgt Eaves said.
Closure orders and public reporting
Coventry City Council said Trading Standards will review the seized items and pursue closure orders where appropriate.
Cllr John McNicholas, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Cohesion, said the operation showed the impact of close work between police and Trading Standards.
He said traders who believe they can avoid criminal action while selling illicit products should treat the operation as a warning.
The council and police are asking residents to avoid illegal traders and use legitimate retailers. Anyone aware of high street stores selling illegal goods or illicit substances has been asked to report it by calling police on 101 or through Coventry City Council’s business and licensing channels.
Source: Coventry City Council
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This report is based on Coventry City Council’s published account of Operation Stance and the enforcement details it supplied.
- Confirmed the operation name, areas visited and partner agencies from the source notice.
- Matched the arrest details to the stated suspicions: possession with intent to supply and...
- Kept seizure figures to the source wording, including more than 140 bags of Class B drugs.
- Identified Coventry as the factual geographic scope rather than using the publisher name a...
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- Coventry City Council
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- Coventry
- Updated
- 2026-06-03 20:16
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