Smuggled tobacco seized in Shropshire
Smuggled cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco with a black market value of around £7,000 have been seized from two shops targeted by Shropshire Council’s public protection officers, supported by officers from West Mercia Police.
The stash was found hidden in a range of secret locations at both sites, including an opened out wall space behind a mirror in the toilet of a convenience store in Market Drayton and within a narrow cavity behind a fake wall built into the storeroom of a small Oswestry corner shop. Another hiding place used was within trays of cans of beer with the middle cans removed.
The finds were made with the assistance of Bradley, a Springer Spaniel who is a specially trained tobacco detection dog, whose keen nose helped reveal the bulk of the items seized.
The seizure of around 18,000 cigarettes and 17kg of rolling tobacco included a range of brands believed to be counterfeit or bootlegged which cannot be legally sold in the UK. Investigations by public protection officers are ongoing into the activities of the retailers in question.
Grant Tunnadine, investigations team manager for Shropshire Council’s public protection service, said:
“With Bradley there to indicate the presence of tobacco, it enables us to direct our attention to specific areas within the shop and storage areas. It is debatable whether we would have found as much as we did without the dog, who was brilliant. It is clear that the people involved in this illegal trade have used some ingenuity to hide their stock, but all that effort is worthless really because with the dog on board we will find it, seize it and take action against those involved.”
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for public protection, said:
“It is disappointing that illicit tobacco has been identified in retail premises within the county. However, despite the lengths that these traders have gone to hide their illicit product, we are still able to combat this damaging illegal trade. The detection dogs can find tobacco and cigarettes even if hidden in the most unlikely places. Those involved in dealing in illegal tobacco may be encouraging people, including children, to smoke by providing a cheap source. As well as the obvious health concerns that this raises, a lot of legitimate businesses in Shropshire are losing customers to the illegal trade in tobacco. Offenders need to know that they will face consequences if they choose to deal in these illegal products.”
Consumers who are concerned about any product on sale are encouraged to report the matter to the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06; Shropshire Council’s public protection team works in partnership with them.
