Two arrested after Burton shop raids see almost 50,000 illicit cigarettes seized

Tens of thousands of illicit cigarettes have been seized and two men arrested after a series of raids on Burton shops.

Sniffer dogs joined Trading Standards officers to swoop on four stores in the town centre - and the results were staggering, they said.

Officers discovered around 43,500 cigarettes they believed to be counterfeit or illegal and more than 10kg of illegal rolling tobacco.

Two foreign nationals were also arrested and handed to immigration officers.

Staffordshire County Council communities boss Councillor Gill Heath said counterfeit items were damaging to people’s health and funded criminal gangs.

The trading standards officers were aided by sniffer dogs (Image: Getty)

She said: "Our trading standards team responded to intelligence and successfully disrupted the supply of potentially-dangerous tobacco and cigarettes in Staffordshire.

"This is part of our ongoing operation to tackle the sale of illicit and counterfeit tobacco.

"The use of sniffer dogs in these operations is vital to their success.

"Counterfeit sales damage businesses and can fund criminal gangs. We are always grateful to people who report suspected sales of illicit tobacco – the information they give really can make a difference.

"Some shop owners had gone to great lengths to conceal the illegal tobacco."

The raids were the latest in a series of county-wide visits by Trading Standards, supported by Staffordshire Police.

Officers are now considering further enforcement action, but cannot name the stores they raided for legal reasons.

The cigarettes uncovered are thought to have been illegally imported and supplied at the shops.

According to Trading Standards, illegal tobacco products can usually be easily recognised.

They are often very cheap - often less than half the price of legitimate packets - and have foreign writing on them.

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Councillor Heath said: "Counterfeit tobacco is damaging to people's health and can undermine smoking cessation efforts as it is usually sold at a cheaper price.

"In addition, illicit cigarettes can be a fire risk as they do not self-extinguish when left to burn as legitimate cigarettes do.

"Far from being a victimless crime, illegal tobacco trade creates a cheap source for children and young people.

"While all tobacco is harmful, the illegal tobacco market, and in particular the availability of cheap cigarettes, makes it harder for smokers to quit and remain smoke-free.

"The loss to the tax-payer means less money being spent on local communities, schools and the NHS."

Collin Singer, managing director of Wagtail UK Ltd, which provided detection dogs for the raids, said: "Sniffer dogs remain the quickest and most effective method of detecting a scent.

"We are pleased to have been able to support Staffordshire County Council’s trading standards team in another successful illegal tobacco enforcement operation.