SOUTHPORT: Counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco worth more than £2,000 have been seized following raids by Sefton Council Trading Standards in a special Tobacco Enforcement initiative.
More than 6,000 illegal cigarettes along with pouches of tobacco were seized after retail premises in Waterloo and Southport were visited by Trading Standards officers and specially trained tobacco sniffer dogs.
The seizure included counterfeit and non-duty paid products which cannot be legally sold in the UK.
Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “We will always take action against anybody who chooses to trade in illegal tobacco.
“Sales of illicit tobacco is completely unfair on those traders who sell UK tobacco products legitimately.
“The availability of cheap illegal cigarettes like this needs to stop and we are determined to protect legitimate traders.
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