32,000 illegal ciggies seized as traders targeted
TENS of thousands of illegal cigarettes have been seized from four traders in Newcastle.
Raids on premises in Benwell, Byker and Heaton netted 32,000 suspected illegal cigarettes and a kilogramme of alleged illicit hand rolling tobacco.
Specialist sniffer dogs Copper and Yoyo joined staff from Newcastle City Council and Northumbria Police officers in targeting traders selling illegal tobacco.
David Ellerington, manager of Newcastle City Council trading standards, which led the operation, said: “These remarkable sniffer dogs have again proved their worth by landing another blow to the illegal tobacco trade which blights the health of residents right across Tyneside.
“We know the sale of illicit cigarettes not only leads young people to become addicted, which has long-term negative effects on their lives, but often has links to organised crime.
“Whether joined by our canine crimefighting companions or not we will never stop in our efforts to stop criminals flooding our streets with their unregulated products.
“Unlawful goods will never be acceptable in our communities and we
would urge anyone with information on the sale of illegal tobacco to anonymously report it to the Keep It Out campaign on 0300 999 0000 or at keep-itout.co.uk.”
The seizures were made under Operation CeCe, a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC to tackle illegal tobacco.
In a separate, linked raid, trading standards officers from North Tyneside Council also seized more than 14,000 cigarettes and nearly 5kg of rolling tobacco from a shop in Wallsend.
Chief inspector Ron Charlton of Northumbria Police said: “This jointoperation was the result of weeks of preparation and planning and we are pleased to have helped take these illegal goods off the streets.
“Some people may think the selling of counterfeit goods is a victimless crime but quite often these goods can be a product of organised crime.
“Groups can supply them into the region with the intention of making money, which enables them to then continue to fund illicit activities.
“We are committed to pursuing criminals and protecting our communities as part of Operation Sentinel, which is our collaborative approach to tackling serious and organised crime, and we will continue to work with all our partners to prevent and disrupt these groups.”