Cannabis-laced sweets and 2,000 illegal cigarettes found by sniffer dogs in Walsall shops as 20-year-old arrested
Officers in Walsall have cracked down on illegal tobacco and drugs, arresting a man and uncovering hidden cannabis and thousands of illicit cigarettes.
West Midlands Police, working alongside Trading Standards and other enforcement partners, carried out a joint operation targeting illegal tobacco and drugs December 4.
A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis after officers discovered cannabis and related paraphernalia at a retail premises in Walsall.
Officers also seized “Nerds Rope Bites” sweets infused with THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
The operation involved Walsall’s Priority Crime Team, Trading Standards, a specialist search dog unit, and HMRC.
Sniffer dogs were used to locate hidden tobacco and drugs during searches of three retail premises and a vehicle, following intelligence that illegal goods were being sold.
Illegal items were found in two of the three stores and in the vehicle. In one store, officers discovered a purpose-built magnetic concealment door in the storeroom, behind which over 2,000 illegal cigarettes were hidden.
Trading Standards confirmed that the raids are part of ongoing efforts to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco and drugs in the area.
Sergeant Jason Pinches, Walsall's Priority Crime Team supervisor, said: “It was great to support Trading Standards and our other partners in this operation.
"We made an arrest and assisted in seizing illegal cigarettes, tobacco and drugs. It was a very successful operation with thousands of illicit goods taken off our streets.”
