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More than £37,000 of illegal tobacco, vapes and cash was seized by Heart of South West Trading Standards during a five-week operation in January and February.

Officers, in partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and Avon and Somerset Police, visited 14 shops across the region, including locations in Brixham, Crediton, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Plymouth, Taunton, Teignmouth, and Wellington.

Detection dogs were used to look for hidden stashes. All but one of the 14 shops were found to be selling illegal products, said trading standards.

Alex Fry, operations manager for Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, said the removal of illegal tobacco and vapes from the marketplace is a high priority for the team.

“The service uses detection dogs so regardless of where it is hidden, in a storage container or retail premises, the dogs have the ability to sniff out even small quantities of tobacco and vapes that are hidden from view.

“The sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco and illegal vapes is big business and those shops involved can undercut other local general stores who are trying to operate legally during difficult economic conditions,” said Fry.

Investigations into those premises found selling the items are ongoing, trading standards reported.

It follows a Lincolnshire operation last month, which saw officers seize more than 90,000 cigarettes.

 

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