Acting on information from the public, officers visited multiple premises on Wednesday 4 June and discovered over 63,000 illegal cigarettes — with an estimated value of around £47,500 — along with more than 400 illegal vapes, hand-rolling tobacco, and chewing tobacco.
Many of the items were carefully hidden inside buildings and vehicles, but were discovered thanks to a specially trained detection dog.
Investigations are now underway and the businesses involved could face prosecution or fines of up to £10,000 under the HMRC Track and Trace scheme.
Richard Brown, Head of Public Protection at the council, highlighted the wider dangers:
“Even small-time sellers are often linked to a longer criminal chain. The illegal tobacco trade poses risks to our communities, including young people, and we take all reports seriously.”
Councillor Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environment and Communities, added:
“Thanks to the dedication of our Trading Standards team and support from the public, we’ve taken a large amount of harmful, illegal product off our streets. But we rely on residents coming forward with information — that’s what makes this work possible.”
Anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco or vapes in the borough is urged to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
We all know that the offenders will be Soufh asian!!!!