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Eagle-eyed police have uncovered illegal vapes and tobacco products worth in the region of £20,000 from a Newcastle shop.
Officers from Byker Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) visited the premises on Shields Road on an unrelated matter on Wednesday afternoon.
While inside, they spotted illicit cigarettes, tobacco and vapes which have now been seized.
As part of officers’ enquiries, one man was arrested on suspicion of immigration offences and taken into custody.
A total of 1,765 cigarettes, 1,765 pouches of tobacco and 417 illegal vapes were seized in the visit, which has an approximate value of £20,000.
Sergeant Graeme Cockerill, of Byker NPT, said: “This is another great example of intelligence-led police work by our local neighbourhood beat officers.
“We will continue to conduct unannounced visits to stores which we believe are selling these illegal products.
“We are also actively pursuing closure orders against these premises and working with our partners in Trading Standards.
“These items might seem harmless to many people, and they are often cheaper to buy than legitimate goods, but we often see their sale linked to wider types of offending and, often, serious and organised crime.
“If you have information about the sale of illicit items, please let us know so that we can act upon it and bring those responsible to justice.”
Cllr Alex Hay, Newcastle City Council’s deputy leader, who has responsibility for regulatory services, said: “Smoking is a killer and illegal vapes and tobacco are a scourge in our communities.
“Too many people in Newcastle die from smoking-related illnesses every year and I’d like to congratulate police for making this considerable seizure, which will have significant preventative benefits for public health.
“I hope this sends a strong message to anyone who is peddling illegal vapes and tobacco – in Newcastle we take decisive action to disrupt illegal activities.
“Our Trading Standards teams will continue to work with police to stamp out such criminality and I would encourage anyone with information about such activity to come to us, in confidence, so we can investigate.”
Anyone wanting to report suspicious activity in their community can do so by sending a direct message to Northumbria Police’s social media accounts or by using the live chat on the Force’s website.
For those unable to contact police via the above ways, call 101.
Anyone aware of any ongoing sale or supply of illicit and counterfeit tobacco products can report anonymously via the Keep-It-Out website at: https://keep-it-out.co.uk/anonymous-reporting/
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