Cigarettes and tobacco worth more than £9,000 have been seized in raids by trading standards officers in South Cheshire.
More than 20,000 cigarettes and 5kg of rolling tobacco were uncovered during raids on seven properties in Crewe.
The raids were coordinated by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and supported by the Department of Health.
Officers and sniffer dogs discovered concealed stashes at five of the premises, with products hidden in areas including a false wall and a freezer.
Operation Henry 2 has been targeting illicit supplies in nine regions of England using specialist detection dogs.
Councillor Paul Bates, Cheshire East Cabinet member for communities and health, said: “People who deal in illegal tobacco are more likely to encourage others, especially children and young adults, to smoke.
“All tobacco is harmful but the illegal black market in tobacco, and in particular the availability of cheap cigarettes, makes it harder for smokers to quit and remain smoke free.
“Detection dogs can find tobacco and cigarettes in the most unlikely places and in addition to having their stock confiscated offenders could face unlimited fines and up to 10 years in prison.”
The seizure included non-duty paid and counterfeit tobacco, which cannot be legally sold in the UK.
CTSI chief executive Leon Livermore said: “The illegal trade costs taxpayers about £2 billion per year in lost revenue and is known to fund organised crime networks and criminal gang activity.
“About 80,000 people die from smoking-related diseases each year in England alone, costing the overstretched NHS an estimated £2billion.
“Together, we are winning the battle and figures show that the market share of illicit cigarettes has dropped from 21 per cent to nine per cent in the last decade.
“Intelligence-led investigations like Operation Henry 2 keep illegal cigarettes and tobacco off the market and away from children and young people.”
Richard Las, deputy director of fraud and investigation service at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: “Seizing illicit product is only one of the tools used.
“The focus is on using a range of interventions, from penalties to prosecutions, to encourage compliance and maximise deterrent.”
Operation Henry was the first large-scale coordinated trading standards investigation of its kind to tackle the supply of illegal tobacco.
It has resulted in the seizure of more than 2.5 million cigarettes worth £614,488.
Anyone with information can call the Tackling Illegal Tobacco hotline on 0300 999 0000 or report online at www.keep-it-out.co.uk
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