Tyneside’s biggest illegal tobacco haul
Biggest seizure of fake tobbaco in city’s history
STASHED inside a box of cereal, this is part of a huge haul of illicit cigarettes taken off the streets in Tyneside’s biggest tobacco seizure.
Officers from the Newcastle Trading Standards Team seized £50,000 worth of illicit tobacco after swooping on three shops and two houses in Benwell and Walker.
The dodgy cigarettes had been hidden in juice cartons and cereal boxes but were rooted out by a sniffer dog.
It is believed to be the biggest tobacco seizure ever in Newcastle.
When trading standards officers entered one shop they found most of the 20,000 cigarettes hidden inside cornflake and soap powder boxes, quickly found by the sniffer dog.
Acting on information, the team then visited two houses where they found a further 80,000 illegal cigarettes in an enterprise that linked all three premises.
In total 98,240 illegal cigarettes and 23kgs of hand rolling tobacco were taken away and now face being pulped.
Cabinet Member for Regulation, Coun Nick Kemp, said: “This is the biggest every seizure of illegal tobacco ever in the city, and I would like to congratulate Trading Standards.
“I dread to think what harm these cigarettes could have caused to public health if they were allowed to flood our streets. Most of it was foreign brands with no warnings in English.
“People may think it’s a victimless crime, but it is sold to chiland dren damages legitimate businesses.
“We will continue these raids until shopkeepers get the message that selling this kind of stuff will cost them dearly in the long run and threaten their businesses and their livelihoods.”
Operation Beagle 7 was a joint exercise involving Newcastle City Council, Northumbria Police, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Immigration.
Trading Standards Manager, David Ellerington, said: “I’d like to thank the public for the information they provide. In many of these cases we could not find and make the seizures without help from the public.”
If you suspect a shop may be selling illegal tobacco you can report it to Trading Standards on 0191 2116121.
I dread to think what harm these cigarettes could have caused to public health Coun Nick Kemp