LONDON: Thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit and illegal cigarettes and a suspected firearm were seized from Liverpool shops in a weekend of action by trading standards officers.
Liverpool council’s Alcohol and Tobacco Unit, together with Merseyside Police, targeted 10 newsagents and off-licences across the city yesterday and today.
Sniffer dogs Bradley and Alfie helped uncover £9,000 worth of fake stock at one shop, including cigarettes and rolling tobacco.
At another shop a firearm was discovered, while an illegal worker was found behind the till at another.
Cigarettes thought to be counterfeit were seized at five shops over the weekend.
The team also found illegal cigarettes, which are smuggled into the UK after being bought abroad to avoid tax being paid – leaving lawful sellers unable to compete.
Counterfeit cigarettes, which are made to look like a genuine product, are unregulated and come with serious health warnings and can be stuffed full of substances including rat droppings, mould, dust, dead flies, rat droppings and human excrement.
The substances are among those often mixed with unregulated toxins in the production of fake cigarettes, tens of thousands of which are thought to be smuggled into the region every year.
As well as putting their health at an increased risk, unwitting smokers who buy fake or non-duty paid tobacco could also be funding major gangs and serious organised crime networks.
In December the Local Government Association warned smokers many counterfeit cigarettes contained much higher levels of toxic ingredients such as tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, lead, cadminium and arsenic than genuine brand-name cigarettes.
