By Ross Thomson
Copyright dailyrecord
More than 19,500 illicit cigarettes and 3.15kg of hand rolling tobacco have been seized by North Lanarkshire Council’s Trading Standards team from eight local businesses. Investigations are ongoing, with premises facing potential criminal prosecution, licence reviews and additional sanctions, including financial penalties of up to £10,000. The seizures were made during two separate operations in Airdrie, Wishaw and Motherwell in August and September. The illicit tobacco products were concealed and stored in purpose-built areas designed to evade detection but were uncovered with the assistance of tobacco detection dogs. In a separate operation, a local business has had its alcohol licence revoked by the Licensing Board after the council’s Environmental Health Officers seized 25 x 35cl bottles of counterfeit vodka. The officers are now working with Food Standards Scotland’s Food Crime Unit to prepare a case for submission to the Crown Office and further investigate the supply chain involved. “Illegal cigarettes and tobacco products cause significant health risks as there’s no quality control involved in their manufacture,” said Councillor Helen Loughran, Convener of the council’s Environment and Climate Change Committee. “Shockingly, some of the products were discovered hidden inside a filthy, unhygienic waste bin which underscores the illegal trade’s utter disregard for public health and safety. “Our officers rely on intelligence from members of the public, Police Scotland and other partners to identify the businesses who are selling these products and take action to remove them from our communities.” These latest seizures mean the Trading Standards Service has seized over 108,000 cigarettes (over 5,420 packets) of illicit cigarettes and 32kg of hand rolling tobacco from 22 premises across North Lanarkshire in the last 12 months. If any members of the public have concerns that illicit products are being supplied from retail premises in North Lanarkshire, please contact Trading Standards at tradingstandards@northlan.gov.uk. *Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .
