Tobacco detection dogs sniff out illicit cigarettes and tobacco in East Renfrewshire
4,400 illegal cigarettes and 6.5kg of hand rolling tobacco with a retail value of approximately £8,000 have been seized from two shops in East Renfrewshire under suspicion of being counterfeit.
Published: 28 August 2024
Tobacco detection dogs, Rosie and Boo, from Consumer Protection Dogs UK, helped our Trading Standards team and Police Scotland find illicit tobacco when they visited premises across the area as part of Operation CeCe.
Trading Standards is an active participant in Operation CeCe (Scotland) which is a nationwide strategy between Scottish Trading Standards Services and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) set up in 2021 to tackle the retail sale of illegal tobacco products.
Springer Spaniel Rosie and Boo, a German Wirehaired Pointer Labrador are both specifically trained to find nicotine produce and assisted officers to make the recoveries during the searches, which otherwise would not have been visible during a routine inspection.
Illegal cigarettes and tobacco pose a significant risk to public health and safety as they are unregulated and contain higher levels of harmful chemicals than those that are legally sold.
Councillor Danny Devlin, Convener for Environment and Housing said: 'This is a great example of partnership working between the Council, Police Scotland and Consumer Protection Dogs UK. The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. Trading Standards and Police Scotland's work is playing a significant role in disrupting this unlawful trade and is helping to take illegitimate tobacco products off of our local streets.'
Community Sergeant Eddie White, Police Scotland added: 'Police Scotland recognise the risks posed to members of the community from the trade in illegal tobacco and will continue to work alongside East Renfrewshire Trading Standards in our efforts to keep people safe and healthy within their local community.'
Residents are urged to look out for unusual packaging that does not contain typical health warnings, spelling mistakes, discoloured packaging, or modified logos.
Anyone who suspects a shop is selling any counterfeit goods should report it to Trading Standards by phoning 0141 577 8487 or emailing tradingstandards@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk.
