TWO specially trained sniffer dogs have been praised after helping to uncover secret stashes of illegal tobacco in Scottish shops.
Four-year-old labrador/wire-haired pointer cross Boo and two-year-old springer spaniel Rosie aided raids on two shops in Aberdeen which saw Trading Standards officers make several seizures.
Aberdeen City Council said in a press release that 225 packs of illegal cigarettes, 30 packs of counterfeit hand rolling tobacco, and 29 illegal vapes had been found in the raids – including in “secret cupboards” hidden in stockrooms.
The seizures were part of Operation CeCe, a UK-wide operation between Trading Standards and HMRC which was set-up in 2021 to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco products at retail level.
Graeme Paton, Aberdeen City Council’s Trading Standards manager, said: “People might think they are getting a bargain buying tobacco from under the counter in a shop or via social media, and that it does no harm. But they probably don’t realise the connections between illegal tobacco and organised crime and the proceeds are used to fund other illegal activities such as people smuggling and drug dealing.
“Retailers involved in the trade in illegal tobacco are very sneaky at hiding their stocks, however they should be aware we are aware of their tricks – Boo and Rosie are specially trained to find tobacco products and their assistance is invaluable to enable us to find tobacco products that would not be visible during an inspection.”
Aberdeen Council said that the seized illegal products were a “mixture of non-duty paid, counterfeit, and illicit/cheap whites”.
They explained: “The illicit/cheap whites and counterfeit products are not ‘reduced ignition propensity cigarettes’ which means they don’t have the special bands which restrict oxygen access to the burning end of the cigarette, causing the cigarette to go out if not ‘puffed’ by the smoker. This reduces the risk of fires from cigarettes left burning and unattended.”
