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Sniffer dogs find £6,000-worth of illicit alcohol and counterfeit tobacco in Newcastle (1 September 2016)

Date: 01/09/2016
Duncan Lewis, Crime Solicitors, Sniffer dogs find £6,000-worth of illicit alcohol and counterfeit tobacco in Newcastle

Newcastle City Council has used sniffer dogs in a crackdown on illicit alcohol in seven shops in the city’s East End and West End areas.

Cigarettes hidden in underwear and a coat were just some of the items seized from shops – and the haul of tabs and alcohol seized in Newcastle had a street value of more than £6,000.

In one shop alone, a total of 200 bottles of vodka were removed from the shelves, when it was discovered they had no duty paid on them and duplicate labels.

A further 100 bottles of whisky and wine were removed from another premises – and around 4,000 cigarettes with a retail value of £1,700 were taken from one shop.

Operation Beagle 6 was carried out by Newcastle City Council’s Trading Standards team, in collaboration with Northumbria Police and the UK Border Force.

Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, Cllr Nick Kemp, said:

“This was another great operation taking illegal cigarettes and tobacco off the streets.

“Dodgy vodka is particularly popular at the moment, with hundreds of bottles seized from several shops.

“People should be aware that we don’t really know what is in the bottles, or the effects on the public’s health.

“The labels are particularly crude and often stuck over the top of existing labels, so people should look out for this.

“Shop owners who sell this and counterfeit cigarettes may think they are getting a bargain – but if they get caught, they could have their licences taken from them, which could ultimately close them down. It’s not worth the risk.”

Trading Standards Manager David Ellerington added:

“On this occasion, the dogs had a terrific day – they found multiple packs of cigarettes hidden in an overcoat, boxer shorts and a cardboard box. If the cigarettes are in there, they will find them.

“This is the sixth Operation Beagle we have carried out – and we will continue to do this as part of our tactics to disrupt this illicit trade.

“We investigate all information we receive – and won’t think twice about prosecuting shop owners who sell illegal tobacco and alcohol.”

Duncan Lewis Criminal Lawyers

Duncan Lewis criminal lawyers can advise at any stage of a public protection offence, including charges involving selling counterfeit goods, selling illicit alcohol or tobacco products, weights and measures issues, mislabelling offences, food hygiene breaches, selling restricted items to minors and breaches of health and safety regulations.

There are Duncan Lewis offices nationwide and in most major cities – and Duncan Lewis can advise on police raids and premises inspections by Trading Standards, local authority fraud teams or UK Border Force.

For expert legal advice on public protection offences, call Duncan Lewis criminal lawyers on 0333 772 0409.

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