A tattoo parlour where staff inked customers while under the influence of drink and drugs has been shut by police. Officers swooped on Stingin Ink in Chorley Old Road, Bolton, as part of a major crackdown across the town today (June 30).
Police said they and enforcement officers from Bolton Council also took action after discovering the tattoo parlour was operating in 'unsanitary conditions'. Tattooing equipment was seized during a raid on the business.
Police shared the news of the raid on the GMP Bolton North Twitter page. The tweet read: "tattoo parlour on Chorley Old Road has been closed for operating in unsanitary conditions & tattooing people whilst under influence of drink/drugs. Tattooing equipment has been seized. Partnership working with ACC Green, Yasmin Qureshi MP & @boltoncouncil enforcement."
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Hundreds of officers have been working on Operation Avro, a huge operation across Bolton today, in a bid to target the criminals 'who cause the most harm' in the community. Early morning raids were carried out with officers bursting through doors before dawn.
Officers seized cannabis plants after uncovering a farm on Harroby Street in Farnworth. Elsewhere, police issued a three-month closure order to a shop caught selling thousands of pounds worth of illegal alcohol and tobacco as well as nitrous oxide cannisters for suspected drug use.
Ramiro’s Mini Market in St Helens Road ignored repeated warnings from Bolton council trading standards officers about selling the illegal goods. The council and GMP launched an investigation into the shop in March 2021 when it was banned from selling alcohol after illegal tobacco was purchased during an undercover operation.
In November of last year, the council received intelligence that the shop was selling counterfeit alcohol. A search of the premises resulted in more than £5,000 worth of beer and wine, as well as eight bottles of vodka, being seized.
In March of this year, more than half a kilo of tobacco and 188 nitrous oxide cannisters were seized from a vehicle connected to the shop. Further alcohol was seized the following month.
Coun Hilary Fairclough, deputy leader of Bolton council, said: “Closing a business is not an easy task, nor something we do lightly. Trading standards officers have worked tirelessly to provide the necessary evidence. This business has repeatedly been warned over the sale of illegal goods and nitrous oxide cannisters for recreational drug use and clearly has no regard for the law or the health and wellbeing of our community.
“These goods can be harmful to people’s health, and it is vital we get them off our streets. I urge members of the public to continue reporting such activity so that we can take the necessary action.”
Operation Avro is a force-wide initiative, running in a different district each month. In May, samurai swords were seized and a £500,000 cannabis farm was busted as officers swooped on Bury. In April, a 'record-breaking' 63 arrests were made after GMP carried out their monthly crime 'blitz' in Rochdale.
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