Police seize £75,000 of illegal tobacco products

Thousands of illegal cigarettes, tobacco products and vapes worth more than £75,000 have been seized during a police operation.

Northamptonshire Police and North Northamptonshire Council's Trading Standards team carried out checks at a number of shops in Wellingborough, Corby and Kettering as part of Operation Jackgate on 26 and 27 April.

During the raids, officers seized 99,325 illegal cigarettes, almost 42kg of hand-rolling tobacco, 273 single-use vapes and a range of counterfeit nicotine products.

Sgt Curtis Chambers from Northamptonshire Police said: "These items are often linked to wider criminality and can undermine legitimate businesses as well as pose potential risks to public health."

Officers also found hidden compartments and other methods being used to conceal illegal products inside premises.

Later, police stopped and searched a vehicle linked to shops in Wellingborough, where they found and seized more illegal tobacco and cigarettes.

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