Member Article

Sniffer dogs help crack Lancashire fake tobacco racket

Sniffer dogs have helped to discover large amounts of illegal tobacco in raids carried out by Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service in Hyndburn, Rossendale, Burnley and Pendle.

857 packs of contraband cigarettes, 128 packs of tobacco, 248 tobacco blunts and cigar rolls were seized after 48 retail premises were visited in a joint operation by Trading Standards, Lancashire Police and District Licencing Officers.

The teams were joined by two sniffer dogs. The raids took place over four days, with illicit tobacco being found in 13 premises. Also seized were 68 packs of unlicensed, unsafely stored fireworks and a number of non-compliant lasers, toys, air fresheners, e-cigarettes and e-liquids.

The large haul included counterfeit and non-duty-paid tobacco products which cannot be legally sold in the UK. The low price and easy availability of illegal tobacco encourages people to keep smoking, and children and young people are often targeted by unscrupulous traders.

The dogs help to find tobacco which unscrupulous traders often conceal in unusual places such as hidden compartments and cash machines.

County Councillor Janice Hanson, cabinet member for public protection, said: “We regularly act on intelligence received from the public, and the success of this operation shows that even the smallest piece of intelligence can make all the difference.

“It also demonstrates that more and more people are beginning to understand the serious threat that illegal tobacco poses to our communities and, just as tellingly, that fewer and fewer people are prepared to tolerate it.

“The highly trained tobacco dogs leave no hiding places for those who trade in illegal tobacco, making them a valuable contribution to the armoury of our Trading Standards Service.”

Ch Insp Julian Platt of Lancashire Police said: “The police were delighted to work with Trading Standards on this series of raids, as they have undoubtedly helped to take a range of illegal and potentially very harmful products off the streets of East Lancashire, thus protecting our residents.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .