Thousands of illegal cigarettes seized from shop

Hundreds of packets of illegal cigarettes and tobacco and more than £17,000 in cash have been seized from a premises in Herefordshire, police have said.

The items were discovered at Rayan Mini Market in Drapers Lane, Leominster, on Tuesday following concerns around illegal sales.

Griff the tobacco detection dog was deployed to assist in searches, which recovered 157 pouches of illegal hand-rolling tobacco and 406 packets of cigarettes from a vehicle at the back of the premises.

The total duty evasion for these items has been calculated at £9,704.78. A total of £17,350 in cash was also found concealed inside a fridge within the shop.

An interim closure order has been put in place at the store pending a hearing at Hereford Magistrates' Court, where a further closure order is being sought.

Sgt Duncan Reynolds said: "We will continue to target stores suspected of selling counterfeit tobacco and illicit vaping products to protect our communities from harm, and act where appropriate.

He added: "The black market for illegal products undermines legitimate retailers and is often connected to organised criminal gangs and modern-day slavery."

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