AMSTERDAM: Smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco, valued together at nearly £75,000, have been seized by KCC Trading Standards officer in raids on seven shops in north Kent.
Two sniffer dogs were used in the operation at premises in Gravesend and Dartford.
The biggest seizure was from a shop which had a purpose-built, hidden hole in the wall of the basement storage room, which would not have been found without a specially trained Springer Spaniel’s sense of smell.
Five of the seven premises had illicit tobacco seized from them; one shop was believed to have cleared away all its stock before officers arrived, but it had the same storage facility under the counter.
The total haul was 7,177 packets of cigarettes and 1,097 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, weighing 54.85 kg. The estimated retail value was £74,968.
KCC Trading Standards Manager, Richard Strawson, said: “We continue to work to drive out this illegal trade because smoking is one of the biggest causes of ill health and illicit tobacco makes a serious issue worse.
