Raids target illegal tobacco trade

A MAJOR crackdown has been launched on peddlers of illegal tobacco in Blackpool.

Police and trading standards officers have raided homes and seized thousands of illegal cigarettes.

The latest came in Grange Park where two pensioners are suspected of being involved in a supply ring. Fears are growing contraband and counterfeit tobacco – often laced with toxic chemicals – is flooding into the town and ending up in the hands of smokers and children.

Tests on a shipment seized recently showed high levels of lead – up to six times higher than in normal tobacco.

The operation was mounted after Grange Park residents were sold packets of rancid smelling tobacco which caused sore throats and nausea.

The latest raid, at an address on Dinmore Avenue, netted 3,000 illegal cigarettes.

It is the second time the property and its residents – a 65-year-old man and his 66-year-old wife – have been visited by authorities.

Last September officers seized around 15,000 illegal cigarettes worth £7,000 and a further £2,500 cash.

Paul Crook, Blackpool Council’s public protection officer, said ‘fag houses’ and ‘community Robin Hoods’ were becoming more prevalent in the town.

He said: “You can find up to two or three houses on an estate selling counterfeit tobacco which has been imported from anywhere from Luxembourg, Belgium or Bulgaria.

“It’s a huge problem because these so-called community Robin Hoods are often the frontmen for a larger organisation which could be involved in serious crimes including drugs and sex trafficking.

“Not only that but we recently carried out test reports on a haul of tobacco which revealed levels of lead and cadmium up to six times higher than found in normal tobacco.”