27,000 dodgy cigarettes seized in raids by police and customs

THOUSANDS of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes have been seized in Londonderry following coordinated raids by cops and customs officers.

Over 27,000 counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes were seized by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in raids of business premises in the city on last Wednesday (February 24) morning.

Officers from HMRC, supported by Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI), visited 30 retail premises across the city in an operation targeting the transport, storage and sale of illicit cigarettes and seized 27,602 cigarettes along with 10kg of hand rolling tobacco.

As part of an ongoing programme of visits to businesses across Northern Ireland, HMRC officers used hand-held scanning equipment to quickly identify counterfeit or smuggled tobacco products.

The scanners detect covert security markings on the packaging, and give an instant indication of illegal tobacco.

Mike Connolly, Assistant Director, Specialist Investigations, HMRaC said: "The unregulated sale of illegal cigarettes is not a victimless or harmless crime, and encourages otherwise honest people to trade with criminals.

"The gangs behind this form of criminality are motivated solely by greed and personal gain, costing us all, as taxpayers, around 2 billion per year in unpaid duty.

"We are tackling tobacco fraud at all points of the supply chain, from smuggling and storage through to sale, and we are now using new technology to quickly identify the illegal and counterfeit products.

"We will continue to work with our partner agencies, the PSNI and the Organised Crime Task Force, to combat this crime but we are also keen to work closely with and support local businesses that have to compete against these illegal sales.

"We would encourage anyone who knows of someone selling cheap or duty free cigarettes and tobacco to contact our hotline on 0800 59 5000."

Investigations into the businesses stocking the seized tobacco products are continuing.

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