Tobacco

Stu Phillips K9 dogs Griff, Cooper and Bran supported Walsall Trading Standards and West Midlands Police in a major raid, uncovering £365,000 worth of illegal tobacco and vapes. Searches across shops, a vehicle and a storage unit led to the seizure of 287,000 illicit cigarettes, 100kg of hand-rolling tobacco and 350 disposable vapes. This successful operation highlights the vital role detection dogs play in protecting communities and disrupting organised crime.

This blog explores the dangers of training detection dogs on multiple, unrelated odour groups such as drugs, cash, and firearms. Drawing on operational experience, it highlights how overloading dogs with too many targets leads to confusion, unclear alerts, and serious legal risks — especially in environments like stash houses, private dwellings, and vehicle searches. Real examples from UK police and Trading Standards teams expose the practical and legal consequences of using dual-trained or career-shifted dogs without proper retraining or maintenance. The blog makes a strong case for single-purpose detection dogs, arguing that clarity in training leads to reliability in the field — because in real-world deployments, one nose should have one job.

Detection dog Griff, trained by Stu Phillips K9, uncovered one of the most sophisticated tobacco concealments ever seen — a hydraulic stone wall in a Newcastle shop cellar. Working in darkness and poor conditions for over 20 minutes, Griff’s persistence led Trading Standards and Police to a hidden compartment containing illegal tobacco worth £30,000. The find highlights both the scale of the illicit tobacco trade and the vital role detection dogs play in tackling organised crime.

Detection dog Griff, trained by Stu Phillips K9, uncovered illegal cigarettes hidden in a halal meat fridge and meat saw during raids in Sunderland and Washington. The operation, led by Northumbria Police, Trading Standards, and the North East Regional Crime Unit, seized £25,000 worth of illicit tobacco, vapes and cigarettes.

This news story includes exclusive photos and a short video of Griff in action, showing the moment he discovered illegal cigarettes concealed inside the halal meat saw during the Sunderland raids.

In this latest blog, Stu Phillips shares an operational case study featuring Griff, a tobacco detection dog working for HMRC. While searching a shop, Griff displayed clear changes of behaviour without delivering a trained final response — a powerful reminder that real-world detection rarely looks like textbook training. Stu explores the importance of understanding subtle canine communication, trusting your dog, and why success in the field often hinges on interpretation, not performance.

Keď pes nereaguje podľa učebnice, neznamená to, že sa mýli. V tomto blogu Stu Phillips opisuje skutočný operatívny zásah s detekčným psom Griffom, ktorý síce nedal klasickú konečnú reakciu, ale jeho správanie jasne ukázalo prítomnosť tabaku. V reálnych podmienkach – v neprehľadnom, nebezpečnom a rušnom prostredí – je práve zmena správania tým najdôležitejším signálom. Tento blog je pripomienkou, že detekcia v praxi nie je o dokonalých reakciách, ale o schopnosti čítať svojho psa a dôverovať jeho inštinktom.

Skutočné videozábery a fotografie z tejto colnej akcie sprevádzajú tento blog.

Detection dogs Scamp and Yoyo have been awarded the prestigious PDSA Order of Merit in recognition of their outstanding service in detecting illegal tobacco across the UK. The award was presented by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh, during a ceremony at the Tower of London. Both dogs have worked alongside HMRC, Police, Trading Standards, and Regional Organised Crime Units, contributing to major enforcement operations nationwide.

Searching shipping containers with detection dogs can often be a slow and uneventful process, so I was fortunate to document this particular moment.

A major enforcement operation in Walsall uncovered £500,000 worth of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and counterfeit packaging. The raid, part of Operation Shadow, was led by Walsall Council Trading Standards with support from West Midlands Police and specialist detection dogs Griff, Cooper and Bran, trained by international consultant Stu Phillips. The dogs quickly indicated a storage unit, leading officers to 500kg of processed tobacco, 1,000 packets of hand-rolling tobacco, 3,000 cigarettes and counterfeit duty stamps. Two of Stu’s former tobacco dogs are the only tobacco dogs in the world to be awarded medals by the Royal Family, underlining the pedigree behind this success.

Stu Phillips K9 is proud to announce that two of our exceptional detection dogs, Scamp and Yoyo, have been awarded prestigious medals by the British Royal Family and the PDSA—an honour reserved for only the very best.