Major Police Operation Targets Rogue Retailers
A significant police operation in south London has exposed a network of shops selling dangerous counterfeit electronics and illegal vapes, many directly targeting children. The coordinated raids, part of Operation Machinize 2, involved around 80 officers from the Metropolitan Police, HM Revenue and Customs, local authorities, and Trading Standards.
The Raid in Lambeth
In one shop in Lambeth, a colourful display of vapes and Apple-branded products filled the window, masking the illicit nature of the goods inside. Officers, who had been monitoring the premises for months, had previously conducted independent lab tests on purchased items. The results were alarming: most products presented a high risk of electrocution and fires.
The crackdown comes after a law passed in June 2024 banned the sale of single-use vapes to combat environmental damage and their widespread use by minors. During the raid, a trademark representative from Apple quickly identified that the serial numbers on all the product boxes were identical—a clear sign they were counterfeit.
Inspector Oliver Lamb, overseeing the operation, revealed this was not their first visit. "For some it's been the third visit this year," he stated. Previous seizures, including £18,200 worth of Apple products from one shop alone, had failed to deter the managers, who simply restocked their shelves.
National Scale and Impact
Operation Machinize 2 is a nationwide effort targeting cash-intensive businesses in the "grey economy," which police believe are fronts for money laundering. Planned with the National Crime Agency (NCA), the operation has seen raids on more than 2,700 premises, leading to 924 arrests.
The total haul from the national operation is staggering:
- Over £10.7 million in suspected illegal proceeds seized
- 111,000 illegal vapes confiscated
- 70kg of cannabis and 4.5 million illegal cigarettes recovered
Rachael Herbert, director of the NCA's national economic crime centre, emphasised the operation's goal: "Depriving criminals of their source of income has a real impact, limiting the funds they can reinvest in further offending and deterring them from taking spaces on our high street that could be used by legitimate businesses."
Public Health and Community Response
The risks extend beyond counterfeit goods. Police expressed serious concerns about the unregulated vapes, with Inspector Lamb noting, "We've got no idea what people are inhaling from it." Witnesses from a nearby retailer confirmed that the shop was regularly selling disposable vapes to children.
Public reaction during the raid was mixed. While one passerby filmed and verbally abused officers, others appeared unfazed, with one woman continuing her lunch nearby. Despite this, police insist these shops are a major source of public frustration and a significant health risk.
By the operation's conclusion, an estimated £2.7 million of illicit goods were destroyed, and over 450 businesses were reported to Companies House for further investigation. For the Met Police, true success is defined by permanently shutting down these illegal operations to make way for legitimate local businesses.
