Earlier this month Trading Standards officers carried out raids on various locations in Heckmondwike as part of a joint operation with police and Revenue and Customs officials.
In total they discovered 36,000 cigarettes and 36kg of rolling tobacco – believed to be counterfeit – with an estimated street value of £40,000.Police also recovered a stun gun and CS gas which are illegally held weapons and could pose a serious danger to the public.
David Lodge, head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “All tobacco is harmful, but the supply of illegal cigarettes seriously undermines the drive to reduce smoking, fuels organised criminality and is often a gateway for young people to becoming addicted to a habit which prematurely kills over half its users.”
The raid is the second counterfeit cigarette operation to be shut down in recent weeks. Earlier this month a man appeared in court after officers uncovered almost 20,000 illicit tobacco products at premises in Dewsbury.
Enquiries by Trading Standards and Revenue & Customs are currently ongoing.
Stage set for return of Leeds Summer Series
Three jailed over Rochdale machete attack linked to crime feud
Police appeal to trace wanted Bradford man
Wakefield man convicted of manslaughter after pub incident
Nominations open for Blackburn with Darwen Community Volunteer Awards
Woman arrested after attempted robbery in Cheetham Hill
Bradford Council seeks inclusion in grooming gangs inquiry
Former care home worker jailed for 25 years over child abuse offences
Bradford man jailed for sexual assault on teenager
Culture at the Heart of Stockport’s Transformation
South Asian Art Exhibition Opens at Cartwright Hall
Men’s Mental Fitness Programme Launches in Blackburn
Bhangra Nights
Legal Show
Alim OnAir
The Golden Era