A haul of suspected smuggled and fake tobacco was seized during a series of raids in the Bishop Auckland area.
A total of 1.45kg or 29 pouches of suspected smuggled hand rolling tobacco and 9,600 cigarettes believed to be ‘cheap whites’, which are made exclusively for the illegal market, were seized.
The raids were carried out by Durham County Council’s Trading Standards officers using sniffer dogs, supplied by BWY Canine, and were supported by officers from the Shildon Neighbourhood Policing Team and Bishop Auckland Neighbourhood Policing Team at a private home and allotments on Wednesday (18 February).
None of the seized tobacco was found to carry the required UK Government health warnings.
It was the latest in a series of operations carried out by the council’s specialist team, which is tasked with stemming the supply of illicit tobacco in the county.
The taskforce uses every tool available to stay one step ahead of criminals, including the sniffer dogs, which help find tobacco concealed wherever it may be hidden, including secret compartments which are often difficult to detect by conventional search methods.
Joanne Waller, head of environment, health and consumer protection, Durham County Council, said: “Thanks to a wealth of intelligence from the public and honest businesses we are taking effective action against the illicit tobacco trade in the county.
“The use of tobacco dogs makes it easier for us to search large premises quickly and with minimal fuss and means there is no easy way for suppliers to evade detection. These dealers, if left unchecked, will continue to undermine the work of the stop smoking services and sidestep the controls in place to restrict young people’s access to tobacco.
“Anyone found guilty of supplying counterfeit tobacco could face up to 10 years in jail and unlimited fines. In addition, their assets may be seized through proceeds of crime action.
“Stemming the supply of cheap and illicit tobacco is an essential tool in our fight to reduce smoking harm and achieve our vision of a smoke-free future for our children. We will continue to seek the harshest penalties against those who persist in this criminal behaviour.”
Information about illegal tobacco can be reported in confidence to Trading Standards on 03000 261 016 or by emailing tradingstandards@durham.gov.uk. For more information visit www.durham.gov.uk/illegaltobacco
