600 packets of illegal tobacco seized in Accrington and Haslingden (From Lancashire Telegraph)
When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
600 packets of illegal tobacco seized in Accrington and Haslingden
12:00pm Monday 18th March 2013 in News
By Vanessa Cornall, Crime reporter
HAUL: The illegal tobacco seized during raids
MORE than 600 packets of illegal tobacco were seized during raids on retail premises by police and trading standards officers.
Officers used three sniffer dogs, named Ozzie, Indy and Patch, to uncover the massive haul from six shops in Accrington and Haslingden.
The swoops follow raids in Blackburn and Burnley and a total of 2,300 packs of illegal tobacco have been seized throughout Lancashire.
During the latest raids, contraband cigarettes, tobacco, tobacco blunts, cigar rolls and other tobacco products were seized after 12 retail premises were visited by Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards officers and police.
The haul included possible counterfeit and non-duty paid tobacco products which cannot be legally sold in the UK.
Bottles of suspected counterfeit Glens vodka were also seized.
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 sniffer dogs help to find tobacco which traders often conceal in unusual places such as hidden compartments.
County Coun Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “We regularly act on intelligence received from the public.
“The success of this Lancashire-wide 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 sniffer dogs were provided by Wagtail UK Ltd and funded by Tobacco Free Lancashire.
The organisation is a partnership including healthcare professionals formed to help protect children and young people from the dangers caused by tobacco.
Comments(11)
Rishtonian
says...
1:27pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Dave_P wrote:It is when a lot of this cando real damage to your health
hardly crime of the century is it
and I dont just mean the standard of damage done by legal products
pdb951
says...
1:32pm Mon 18 Mar 13
2 for 5p
says...
1:54pm Mon 18 Mar 13
jibbsarefynny
says...
4:09pm Mon 18 Mar 13
doggydog
says...
7:48pm Mon 18 Mar 13
2 for 5p wrote:is a smoker stopped smoking tomorrow then it would cost you more to live ya fool!
What is the difference between a fool and a smoker.
2 for 5p
says...
10:03pm Mon 18 Mar 13
doggydog wrote:?. ? Your post doesn't make any sense.
2 for 5p wrote:is a smoker stopped smoking tomorrow then it would cost you more to live ya fool!
What is the difference between a fool and a smoker.
Been at the drink again have we. :-)
disgusted tunbridge wells
says...
10:05pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Morag Crump
says...
3:27am Tue 19 Mar 13
2 for 5p wrote:Shadap ya lil pipsqueak lol x
doggydog wrote:?. ? Your post doesn't make any sense. Been at the drink again have we. :-)2 for 5p wrote: What is the difference between a fool and a smoker.is a smoker stopped smoking tomorrow then it would cost you more to live ya fool!
Jack Herer
says...
9:17am Tue 19 Mar 13
disgusted tunbridge wells wrote:And we'd never get to work walking everywhere!
If we give up drinking, smoking, driving and gambling income tax will be 99p in the pound
Major Tom
says...
11:35pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Dave_P says...
12:39pm Mon 18 Mar 13