More than £100,000 worth of illicit tobacco has been seized in a crackdown on organised crime in Pendle, Lancashire.
A total of eight premises in Nelson and Colne were raided on 11 February, with hauls of illicit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco seized throughout the day of action.
Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards team joined forces with Pendle Police and tobacco detection dogs from Wagtail UK, whose canines are trained to sniff out hidden compartments containing tobacco, vapes and money.
Over 12,000 packs of illicit tobacco and cigarettes were confiscated with a street value of more than £100,000, plus £3,000 in cash confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The illicit goods were a “mixture of counterfeit and illegal unregistered brands”, reported the council.
Last year, Trading Standards seized over 57,000 packs of illicit cigarettes and tobacco and more than 27,000 illicit vapes from 162 traders across the county.
Councillor Joshua Roberts of Lancashire County Council, said: “We are delighted that these incredible tobacco detection dogs, Hugo and Ziggy, were able to track down hidden stashes of tobacco and vapes worth over £100,000. Using the help of partners such as Wagtail UK, and the police, we can tackle rogue traders and find hidden illicit goods.
“The number of seizures and clever hiding places that our officers were able to discover on one single day of action shows what they are dealing with and the high value of the illegal trade in tobacco. We want to send a very clear message to unscrupulous retailers that we will take the strongest action to remove illegal products from our high streets.”
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