A sniffer dog named Boo has helped to bust seven corner shops selling fake cigarettes in Dundee.
The specially trained canine made a visit to 24 premises in the city where intelligence suggested illegal cigarettes and tobacco were being sold.
Around 5,000 cigarettes and 2kg of hand rolling tobacco was discovered in 29% of the premises’.
Investigations into the seizures are still ongoing.
Illegal trade costs taxpayer billions each year
The discoveries were part of a collaborative project between Dundee City Council‘s Trading Standards team and HMRC to tackle the growing problem of illicit tobacco sales in corner shops.
The illegal trade – which includes counterfeit and duty-evaded products – costs the Treasury an estimated £2 billion in lost revenue each year.
Christina Roberts, convener of the Community Safety and Public Protection Committee, said: “I commend our Trading Standards team for all their work in this area which helps to protect our city’s communities from the many harms from these practices.
“Local officers will continue to play a part in preventing illegal tobacco from damaging people’s health, strengthening efforts to reduce the number of people who smoke and stopping many legitimate, tax-paying businesses from being undersold.”
Should consumers wish to report instances of the sale of illicit tobacco then they can do so anonymously by calling Trading Standards on 0808 164 6000.
