Ayrshire officers carry out second seizure of illegal tobacco products
Police in Ayrshire have carried out their second seizure of illegal vapes and tobacco products in the space of a week.
Police in Ayrshire have carried out their second seizure of illegal vapes and tobacco products in the space of a week.
Officers this week joined forces with North Ayrshire Trading Standards to carry out checks to local stores.
On this occasion, Trading Standards seized 64 packs of counterfeit cigarettes and six pouches of illicit tobacco in one Saltcoats store alone.
It comes after officers in East Ayrshire last week uncovered a hidden stock of products including over 20,000 cigarettes, 6g of tobacco and over 100 vapes.
Preventions & Interventions Officer PC Jenner said this type of crime is often linked to larger organised crime.
She said: “"Following on from the illegal products found last week, this latest seizure is a further example of illicit products out there.
"Counterfeit cigarettes are cheap copies that look like well-known brands - but are also often linked to organised gangs and other types of crime, including human trafficking, drug supply and money laundering."
"Once again, aside from this seizure of illicit products, the majority of local retailers demonstrated stringent 'Challenge 25' protocols - selling UK-compliant vape and tobacco products."