Dunstable illegal tobacco traders caught out by sniffer dogs

Sniffer dogs Cooper and Ted have put their noses to good use, helping Central Bedfordshire Council’s Trading Standards Team seize a quantity of illegal tobacco in two shops in Dunstable.

Fifteen premises across Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Leighton Buzzard and surrounding villages were visited by a test purchaser on February 24, and three sales of illegal tobacco were made.

These illegal sales were immediately followed up by a visit from Central Bedfordshire Council’s Trading Standards Team and Bedfordshire Police. Red Snapper, accompanied by the tobacco sniffer dog and handler from Wagtail, who provide detection dogs for the public sector, joined the operation.

The Cocker Spaniel, Cooper quickly showed the team exactly where the contraband was hidden and in one shop, the dog sniffed the tobacco in a locked filing cabinet. From these visits, a quantity of cigarettes was seized from two premises and evidence of supply was seized from the third.

Three further visits were carried out by the team to other local premises that had been previously prosecuted by Trading Standards for the supply of illegal tobacco, nothing was found in these shops.

Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, Councillor Ian Dalgarno, said: “We take the sale of illicit goods very seriously and being able to use a sniffer dog significantly increases our chances of finding and seizing illegally imported tobacco.

“Although a lot has been achieved and fewer people buy illegal tobacco, it is still a problem and removing these goods from the streets is a priority. While all smoking kills, illegal tobacco is a danger to health, particularly to children and young people, as it is sold at ‘pocket money prices’, making it easy for children to start smoking and become hooked. It can also encourage other crimes in our communities.

“People can make a real difference to help keep more illegal tobacco off our streets by reporting it. We need to keep the pressure up on those who continue to sell it and clamp down on those found offending.”

If anyone is concerned they may have been sold counterfeit tobacco, cigarettes or alcohol or know about the sale of it they should notify the Council’s Trading Standards Team by calling 0300 300 8642 or emailing [email protected].