Bootleg cigarettes threaten shopkeepers' livelihoods

They believe the gangs see smaller airports like Teesside as a soft target with less security.

On Tuesday morning, more than 200,000 cigarettes were taken off a flight after a raid by customs officers.

It was the latest in a number of recent seizures.

Customs spokesman Mike Connolly said they were alert to the threat at Teesside.

He said: "It is a significant seizure. It is one of a number of significant seizures we have had over the last six weeks at Teesside Airport.

"We have taken as many as 1.5 million cigarettes from as little as six flights

"On one occasion we seized over 529,000 from one flight so it shows that organised crime gangs are using Teesside Airport."