THOUSANDS of packs of illegal cigarettes and tobacco worth £12,500 have been seized from a flat in Gloucester.
Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standard officers executed a warrant at an address on Wednesday, October 18.
They found 2,284 packs of illegal cigarettes and 117 pouches of illegal hand rolling tobacco.
Gloucestershire Police also seized a quantity of cash.
It comes after complaints from neighbours about illegal tobacco sales taking place in the area.
Cllr Dave Norman, cabinet member for trading standards at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Illegal tobacco harms the trade of legitimate suppliers and poses a risk to public health.
“This seizure shows that our trading standards team will work tirelessly to keep these harmful products off the streets.
“We are grateful to the community for the information they passed to us.
“I would like to thank our Gloucestershire Constabulary colleagues for their help in this investigation and we will continue to work closely together to ensure there is no hiding place for anyone trying to sell illegal tobacco.”
Inspector Ash Gardner, from the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This was a great example of multi-agency work, supporting Trading Standards in their seizure of illegal tobacco.
“We will continue to work with our partners in the city to ensure that people feel safe in their communities.”
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