More than 14,000 cigarettes and nearly 5kg of rolling tobacco worth an estimated £10,000 were recovered – the items were a mixture of either counterfeit products or had no duty paid.

Based on intelligence received, the operation took place on Tuesday, April 6.

It was carried out by North Tyneside Council’s Trading Standards team and Northumbria Police under Operation CeCe, which is a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC to tackle illegal tobacco.

Award winning tobacco detection dogs from Wales were called in to assist officers, including Yoyo the Cocker Spaniel and Cooper the red Labrador. 

Read more here: https://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/people/illegal-tobacco-seized-in-north-tyneside-3199243