£100k Viagra and cigs haul

A HUGE stash of Viagra and tobacco worth £100,000 has been found in a van in North Tyneside.

The discovery was made when officers from Northumbria Police pulled over a Ford Transit van allegedly being driven erratically along Hawthorn Place, Killingworth, just before 10pm on Friday.

They searched the van and found the haul of Viagra and tobacco, which is believed to have been imported or counterfeit.

The 62-year-old driver was arrested and charged for a drink-driving offence and is currently under investigation for a suspected counterfeit offence.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Les Robson, who covers Killingworth for Northumbria Police, said: “Our alert officers acted quickly to remove a potentially dangerous suspected drunk driver from our roads and help keep the community safe.

“It was an added bonus that in the process we were able to unearth a haul of suspected counterfeit or imported Viagra and Tobacco.”

He added: “The people who sell illegally-imported or counterfeit medicines and tobacco don’t care if they are harmful to your health or dangerous to others. They don’t care the goods are not taxed or legally brought into the country.

“When purchasing these types of ‘goods’ you do not know what you are putting in your body or the potentially dangerous consequences.

“We would ask anyone who sees this type of product being sold in this illicit way, or who are offered them, to immediately get in touch.”

“By picking up the phone and contacting us about any information you have, you would be helping keep imported or counterfeit products off out streets.”

To contact police, call 101 or visit the ‘Report an Incident’ section of the Northumbria Police website.