More than 4.5 million illegal cigarettes, 600 kg of untaxed tobacco and 111,000 illicit vapes were seized in a nationwide crackdown on criminal activity across UK high streets, officials said.

The month-long Operation Machinize 2, led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) alongside police forces, HMRC and Trading Standards, focused on businesses being used as fronts for money laundering and illegal sales. Officers raided 2,734 premises, made 924 arrests and seized £10.7 million in suspected criminal proceeds.

Authorities said the operation disrupted organised crime networks that exploit small shops for tax evasion and the distribution of counterfeit goods. The NCA estimated the haul represents £3.4 million in unpaid duty, while counterfeit and potentially harmful products worth £2.7 million were destroyed.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis described the coordinated effort as part of a wider drive to “dismantle criminal networks and protect honest business owners,” and NCA officials called the operation a “new standard” in joint enforcement.

The first phase of Operation Machinize in April produced far smaller seizures, underscoring the growing scale of illicit trade on UK high streets.

This article was adapted from an original report published on tobaccoreporter.com. All rights belong to the original publisher.