Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes have been seized after a joint operation in Preston.
Following information from the public, officers from the Prosper Partnership and Neighbourhood Policing Teams, along with Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards, visited a property in the Brookfield area.
A total of 10,932 packets of cigarettes, 1348 vapes and 558 packs of hand rolling tobacco was seized, which if sold as genuine, would be worth around £212,000
PC Saunders from Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Products, like the ones seized during this operation, can contain harmful chemicals.
Unfortunately, we have seen cases where people have become very unwell, sometimes even hospitalised, due to the use of illegal tobacco and vapes so, as part of the Prosper Partnership, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure they are taken off the streets.”
Councillor Joshua Roberts, cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment, and Communities at Lancashire County Council said: “We were pleased to support the police in this seizure. Removing illicit goods helps protect the health of Lancashire residents.
"Any cash suspected to be from crime will be seized by our financial investigator and reinvested into fighting local crime.
"Our Trading Standards team will keep targeting illegal tobacco and non-compliant vapes, taking enforcement action against anyone who breaks the law.
"If you spot illegal sales of vapes or tobacco, report them via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.”
To report a crime, you can contact police on 101, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online.
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