Illegal tobacco seized in North Somerset
The illegal substance, worth more than £30,000, was seized as part of a crackdown on organised crime across the local authority
Tens of thousands of pounds worth of illegal tobacco have been seized in North Somerset.
The illegal substance, valued at £32,000 was seized by a premises in Weston-super-Mare as part of an investigation launched by North Somerset Council's Trading Standards team, thanks to the help of the South West Organised Crime Unit and HMRC.
Raids were undertaken as part of a national project launched by Trading Standards to tackle the supply and sale of illegal tobacco, called Operation CeCe.
In all, three raids were undertaken by enforcement officers last month in the town, with searched carried out thanks to the help of specially trained tobacco sniffer dog, Griff.
Two people were arrested.
Along with the arrests, North Somerset Council say a 'significant' amount of cash was seized alongside the quantity of illegal tobacco - worth £32,000.
Cllr James Clayton, North Somerset Council’s executive member for safety in the community, said: “I’d like to thank the officers and teams involved with this latest enforcement action and ongoing investigation.
“Here in North Somerset, there is zero tolerance for flouting the law in relation to tobacco products and the links this often has to wider criminality. There’s no place for this on our communities.
“I’d urge anyone who has concerns about the sale of illegal tobacco products and vapes to report it to Trading Standards South West via their website.”
Ben Hayes, part of the Regional Trading Standards Investigation Team (South West), added: “Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and avoidable death in the UK. While all tobacco causes cancer, in our experience cigarettes and tobacco which are counterfeit or made for the illegal market are less likely to adhere to safety standards or a standardised manufacturing process.
“We simply don’t know what conditions they’re made in - factories may be in a poor state of repair or they may even be manufactured or packed at a home address. This poses a greater risk of them containing contaminants and in unknown quantities. When tested, counterfeit and other brands - specifically manufactured for the illegal market - exceed the maximum legal levels of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide by more than 80 per cent.
“While all lit cigarettes pose a fire risk, illegal cigarettes may also fail to extinguish properly if left unattended, greatly increasing the risk of fire in the home.”
Investigations and enquiries into the incident continue.
Sales of illegal tobacco and/or vapes can be reported directly to the Trading Standards South West team on their website.
North Somerset Council’s Better Health team can offer free support to help people quit smoking for good, which you can find out more about here.