Over £1.6 Million in Illicit Tobacco and Vapes Recovered

Illicit cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes, with a retail value exceeding £1.6 million, have been confiscated in Lancashire. These items were discovered within an unoccupied commercial property situated adjacent to a retail outlet in Oswaldtwistle. Approximately 100,000 packs of unlawful cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, along with hundreds of non-regulation vapes, were found in what Lancashire County Council characterized as one of the largest trading standards confiscations ever recorded in the Hyndburn borough. The enforcement team also deployed a detection dog to assist in locating thousands of concealed illegal vapes and cigarettes as part of an enforcement effort targeting shops across Preston. Sky, the tobacco detection dog, is a working cocker spaniel trained to identify hidden compartments containing tobacco, vapes, and currency. The dog uncovered caches of cannabis, unlawful prescription medications, and antibiotics in both hidden compartments and backyards. A total of 1,642 packs of illegal tobacco and 651 non compliant vapes were seized during the operation last month in the New Hall Lane and Friargate areas. During this action, one trader attempted to evade discovery by tossing suitcases filled with tobacco onto a roof. Councillor Michael Green, who serves as the cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, stated that Sky the sniffer dog “did a very thorough job” in a “fantastic way of protecting residents from unsafe goods from unscrupulous traders”.