Police have been stamping down on illegal products, money laundering and immigration crime at retailers across Cheshire East.

On Tuesday (October 14), officers from the Protecting Vulnerable People Exploitation team took part in Operation Machinize.

Joined by colleagues from the Foreign National Offenders unit and trading standards, the teams visited six commercial premises across Congleton, Macclesfield, Sandbach and Alsager.

Around £25,000 worth of illegal products were seized, including vapes, tobacco and counterfeit toys.

Police say these illicit items had been hidden in concealments out of sight within the shops but were uncovered thanks to a specialist detection dog, Mostyn.

Meanwhile, a 32-year-old man from Macclesfield was arrested on suspicion of modern-day slavery offences.

Detective Inspector Martin Caldwell said: "We and our community partners work very hard to tackle those attempting to sell illicit products in Cheshire and, while many businesses across Cheshire East are operating within the law, we have seen that there are a those few who think they can get away with it – as we have seen today.

"There really is nowhere to hide when it comes to distributing products that are illegal for a reason and today's results are the product to the excellent work of our officers partners who are committed to bringing organised criminals, as well as those who exploit the most vulnerable people in our society, to justice.

Download our Nub News App!

- It’s FREE and available now
- Breaking news notifications
- Your Town in Your Pocket

"With that in mind, we cannot take action like this without your support. Information submitted to us from members of the public is vital to our investigations, so I would encourage anyone with any information or concerns about illegal activity in their area to get in touch."

The 32-year-old man arrested in Macclesfield remains in custody as of 11am on Thursday, October 16.

He is assisting officers with their enquiries.