MORE than £5,432 of cash was seized along with 230 packs of illegal tobacco from four businesses in Chorley as part of a four-day operation by Chorley Council, Trading Standards and Chorley Neighbourhood policing teams last week.

On November 15, Trading Standards chiefs visited a car wash and seized cigarettes and tobacco including John Player, Richmond, Sterling, Lambert and Butler, Amber Leaf and Golden Virginia brands. All had foreign health warnings.

Then a visit to a newsagent uncovered three packs of Superking cigs, 1 pack Oscar cigs, a quantity of empty counterfeit Amber Leaf packaging and over £2000 cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.

At another shop a pack of Pect cigarettes, which are not legal in the UK, were found while the police seized a large quantity of prescription-only drugs, two large boxes full of products such as amoxicillin, which should only be dispensed by pharmacies.

From a third shop, 100 packs of tobacco blunts were seized, foreign products bearing incorrect health warnings.

Meanwhile on Saturday night, Chorley Police posted on their social media channels that they visited two pubs with a drug detection dog.

PC Craig McCabe, neighbourhood officer, said: “A man was arrested on suspicion with intent to supply Class A drugs.

“He has been released under police investigation while enquiries continue.

“As a result of the operation, one pub was closed down for the night. We are not revealing where it was but it was in the Chorley Council area and there is still some licensing work going on.

“This goes to show that if the public are coming with information about Class A drugs in pubs and in the community we are going to act on it and try to remove them off the streets.”

Dawn Robinson, of county council trading standards, said: “The sale and manufacture of illegal tobacco helps to fund serious organised crime, and is something we’re determined to tackle.

“It also has an impact on people’s health, with surveys showing that a higher percentage of child smokers buy illicit tobacco than adult smokers.

“Availability of cheap illegal tobacco also helps to keep smoking rates high.

“In the last year we have carried out at least one prosecution every month in relation to illegal tobacco, and will always act on intelligence received. People think they can get away with selling and manufacturing these illegal products, however as with this operation in Chorley we will work with the police to disrupt their activities and bring them to justice.”

Clive Grunshaw, Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Operations such as this highlight the work that officers continue to do and I’m pleased to help fund the work being done in Chorley to tackle crime and act as a deterrent for crime and anti-social behaviour

“This is exactly what Community Safety funding is all about and is why I work closely with partners across Lancashire. It allows local communities to identify issues which concern them and tackle these directly.

“I want the public to feel safe and secure in their communities.

“Operations such as this help provide that re-assurance and help develop safe and confident communities, a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan.”