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20,000 illegal cigarettes seized by Wolverhampton officers

More than 20,000 illegal cigarettes have been seized in an operation between police and trading standards officers.

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The two-day operation involved police officer from the St Peter's and Park Neighbourhood team and Wolverhampton trading standards.

The operation saw the removal of counterfeit and duty-free cigarettes, and around 7lbs of illegal chewing tobacco from some of the premises visited.

The Local Government Association said efforts to reduce smoking and improve health were being hampered by the illicit trade, which also costs the UK economy around £3 billion a year in unpaid duty.

See also: Man and woman guilty of £1.7m tax evasion in illegal tobacco case.

Operations across the country have uncovered illegal cigarettes filled with dead flies, human excrement and abnormally high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

Some have contained asbestos, mould, dust, and rat droppings. Many also contain much higher levels of toxic ingredients such as tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, lead, cadmium and arsenic than genuine brand-name cigarettes.

Fake cigarettes also pose a greater fire risk as they do not include designs that ensure that, once lit, a cigarette will self-extinguish if not actively smoked. This reduces the chances of them starting a fire if left burning in an ashtray, are dropped or if the smoker falls asleep.

See also: Bilston lorry driver jailed over bid to smuggle nine million cigarettes into UK.

Councillor Joanna Spicer, of the Local Government Association, said: "People buying cheap cigarettes might think they are getting a great deal, but the truth is that they're not. If they knew what they might contain, the might think twice about buying them.

"Council prosecutions should serve as a strong warning to any shopkeeper thinking of stocking their shelves with illegal tobacco and not thinking twice about selling them cheaply to children and others."

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