A quarter of a million illegal cigarettes and 1,500 potentially lethal contraband vapes were among the products seized in a joint police and trading standards operation in Newcastle.
Newcastle City Council's trading standards team and Northumbria Police also nabbed 50kg of hand rolled tobacco in the raid, which took place on a compound on the Newcastle riverside earlier this week following a tip-off. The haul of recovered goods is thought to have a retail value of around £215,000.
The stash was stored in metal containers in a compound on the riverside, but after receiving a tip, the enforcement teams swooped and used blow torches to access the containers. With a street value of more than £105,000, this is one of the biggest hauls seized in recent times, according to the police and council.
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It is hoped this will be a major blow to organised crime - and will have prevented thousands of dangerous products hitting the streets.
Newcastle City Council’s community safety chief, Coun Irim Ali, said: "This operation has dealt a serious blow to organised crime. I’d like to thank Newcastle trading standards and Northumbria Police for their sterling work in preventing this illegal contraband from getting onto our streets.
"Illegal tobacco, apart from evading taxation, does untold damage to public health, and while vapes are considered much safer than smoking it is illegal to sell vapes to under 18s where a lot of this stuff is ending up. The growing use of vapes by children is becoming a serious issue as recognised by Government."
Coun Ali said the raid would "send a clear message" to those importing illegal items, and said: "If you do, and we find out, we will seize it and it will cost you dearly. Crime does not pay and in the end, we will catch up with you."
Acting Chief Inspector Kevin Ashurst of Northumbria Police, said: "This is an excellent result and a testament to the important work we are doing alongside our partners to root out illegal cigarette and vape operations in our communities.
"These items are believed to be counterfeit and while the public might not see the harm they cause, we know that the proceeds of their sales is 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."
Acting Ch Insp Ashurst added that anyone with information or concerns about the supply of illegal tobacco products should contact the authorities. The seized goods are now being held at a secret location while a criminal investigation over how they came to be imported is carried out. The haul will soon be destroyed.
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