Police raid reveals potential shoplifters swap shop in Highbury Vale

Thousands of pounds of designer shoes and trainers, clothing and cosmetics were recovered.

Police executed a warrant at an address in Rosegarth Walk on October 19 and came across the unusual discovery.

Around 240 boxes of shoes, 40 boxes of household goods and cosmetics as well as bags of clothing were recovered.

It is believed these items had been stolen from shops across Nottinghamshire and were due to be sent overseas for sale.

Neighbourhood Inspector Gordon Fenwick said: “This was quite a find and not something that my officers thought they would encounter when they executed the warrant on October 19.

“It is hard to put a price on the amount of goods we have seized but we believe they are stolen items from high street stores and supermarkets.

“We also have intelligence to suggest these items were to be shipped overseas.

"We believe we have uncovered a shoplifting ring.

“We believe this property was potentially used by the shoplifting fraternity to trade stolen items for drugs.

“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime.

"It can seriously affect businesses and result in their closures.

"It also feeds drug addiction and has a huge impact on local communities in terms of crime and anti-social behaviour.

“This was a great result, but the investigation is far from over as we work at bringing those who ran this operation to face justice."

So far, one woman aged 36 has been arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis, handling stolen goods and possession of criminal property.