Ten retailers in Renfrewshire were found in possession of £126,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vapes when Trading Standards officers, Police Scotland and Consumer Protection Dogs embarked on a series of store visits in recent months.
Tobacco detection dog Boo helped the team to track down concealed tobacco in four of the premises, while illegal products were found behind the counter in all 10 outlets.
In total, 4,596 packets of cigarettes and 19.45kg of hand rolling tobacco were seized, examined, and assessed to be in breach of the regulations and 1,925 nicotine vapes were recovered which were identified as being non-compliant.
Councillor Marie McGurk, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities and Housing Policy Board, said: “Officers within our Trading Standards team and at Police Scotland deserve great credit for removing these illegal and counterfeit items from sale – as does detection dog Boo!”
Three-year-old Boo started her training as a puppy by learning to scent dry leaf tobacco in a range of busy and noisy environments to prepare for her role as a detection dog – with two other puppies from her litter now scenting out explosives.
Local Area Commander, Chief Inspector Alexandra Marshall, said: “We will continue to work with our partners to gather intelligence and carry out joint operations to deter this type of criminality.
“We are determined to crackdown on illegal and counterfeit items to reduce the harm they pose and make our communities safer. I would encourage anyone with information about illegal cigarettes or tobacco within the local community to contact us through 101, or alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
