Trading standards seize illegal cigarettes after tip-off

Trading Standards officer Mohammed Tariq with the illegal cigarettes

Illegal cigarettes worth £7,500 have been seized by trading standards officers in a series of raids on shops in Birmingham.

Working in conjunction with West Midlands Police, the Birmingham City Council trading standards team raided six shops.

The raids followed reports of illegal tobacco and cigarettes being supplied in a number of premises.

The council officers were assisted by sniffer dogs provided by BWY Canine Specialist Search Dogs, who helped uncover cigarettes hidden behind false walls and light fittings, under counters and even in boxes of biscuits.

The seizure also included packs of suspected counterfeit and cheap foreign labelled cigarettes, which breach consumer protection legislation and are non-duty paid, therefore cannot be legally sold in the UK.

The council said those involved in supplying illegal tobacco were very often involved in much wider criminality.

The latest haul brings to 2,137,460 the quantity of illegal cigarettes seized by trading standards officers during 2016/17- which equates to 106,873 packets of 20 – and 250 pouches of hand rolling tobacco with a street value of about £500,000.

During this period, Trading Standards received more than 80 complaints alleging sales of illicit tobacco from retail premises, which resulted in officers carrying out over 60 inspections.

Cllr Barbara Dring, chair of the city council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “Illegal cigarettes were found at all six shops visited during this operation, and as a result trading standards have taken 30,000 illegal cigarettes out of circulation.

“Those involved in dealing in illegal tobacco may be encouraging people, including children, to smoke by providing a cheap source. This activity also brings crime into our neighbourhoods, which is why it is important we tackle this as it also impacts on businesses that are trading legally.

“The detection dogs can find tobacco and cigarettes even if hidden in the most unlikely places. Offenders need to know that they will face consequences if they choose to deal in these illegal products.”

The value of this latest seizure is calculated based on:
•    1,500 packs of 20 cigarettes (30,000 individual cigarettes) being seized.
•    The average price of a pack of 20 sold illegally is around £5.

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