Police have seized £70,000 worth of suspected illegal items – including a haul of cigarettes hidden inside jigsaw boxes – following a targeted operation.
On Friday officers from Northumbria Police's Operation Vienna joined forces with Trading Standards teams from both Newcastle and Gateshead Council to carry out a series of searches after receiving intelligence from the local community.
Accompanied by tobacco detection dogs YoYo, Bran and Cooper, the coordinated crackdown saw almost 80,000 cigarettes, 35kg of hand rolling tobacco and 180 non-compliant vapes seized from convenience stores, a disused barber shop, a self-storage container and a car in Bensham and Newcastle.
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Other recoveries included 30 bottles of spirits, 20 boxes of fireworks and £2,000 cash. An investigation into the items has been launched by Trading Standards and at this time they are all believed to be illegal.
The activity is the latest in a string of clampdowns carried out by the Vienna team, which was established several years ago and brings police and partners in the local authority closer together to tackle crime and disorder, and act on intelligence in real time.
Praising the results, Inspector Kevin Ashurst from Northumbria Police said: "Operation Vienna is well embedded within the community and this activity is a prime example of what the team continues to achieve, thanks to the trust they have built up.
"By acting on the information given to them by their community, officers, in collaboration with partners, were able to seize a substantial amount of suspected illegal items, from cigarettes and tobacco to fireworks.
"These items are believed to be counterfeit and while the public might not see the harm they cause, we know that the proceeds of these are often invested into organised crime, and can help fund more serious offences like drug supply and even trafficking – and this is something we will not tolerate in our area.
"We will continue to work with our partners and help to take harmful and illegal items out of circulation and would ask anyone with information or concerns continues to share what they know with us."
Alice Wiseman, Gateshead’s Director of Public Health, said: "Selling illegal tobacco is not a victimless crime. It makes smoking more accessible to adults and children alike through cheap prices and lack of regulation, which creates and maintains addiction to a substance that kills more than half of the people who use it long term – that’s one person in Gateshead roughly every 17 hours.
"To add to this, many people who buy illegal tobacco simply see it as a way to save money and don’t realise that they could be funding serious international organised crime. Seizures like these disrupt supply chains and could ultimately save lives, not just here in the North East but globally."
Councillor Irim Ali, Newcastle City Council Cabinet member for a Dynamic City, said: "This is a significant haul of suspected illegal goods and this joint operation sends out a clear message that we will act against those who seek to sell them in our communities.
"Fake goods may be tempting to buy as they cost less than the real thing but they may not meet important safety standards and could be potentially dangerous. While some may think the sale of counterfeit products is a victimless crime, the reality is the money often ends up in the hands of organised criminals so they can continue their illicit activities.
"We won't tolerate this in our city and I urge anyone with information about any other fake or potentially dangerous items to get in touch."
If you'd like to share some information and help keep illegal tobacco out of your community, you can report it on the Illegal Tobacco Hotline: 0300 999 0000. It's quick, easy and completely anonymous.
You can report crime or serious activity to us using the ‘Tell is Something’ page on Northumbria Police's website. Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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