Dogs sniff out £100k of illicit tobacco

Illegal tobacco and vapes worth more than £100,000 have been seized after being found by dogs trained to sniff out hidden compartments.

Hauls of illicit cigarettes, cash and hand-rolling tobacco were found at premises across east Lancashire, during a day of action by Trading Standards.

Ziggy, a four-year-old female Springer Spaniel, and Hugo, a male three-year-old Cocker Spaniel, hunted down the hidden stashes at eight premises across Nelson and Colne.

More than 12,000 packs of illicit tobacco and cigarettes were confiscated with a street value of more than £100,000, plus £3,000 in cash confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The items were a mixture of counterfeit and illegal unregistered brands, Lancashire County Council's Trading Standards team said.

More than 57,000 packs of illicit cigarettes and tobacco and more than 27,000 illicit vapes were confiscated from Lancashire traders in 300 separate seizures from 162 shops between January 2025 and January 2026.

Councillor Joshua Roberts said: "We are delighted that these incredible tobacco detection dogs, Hugo and Ziggy, were able to track down hidden stashes.

"The number of seizures and clever hiding places that our officers were able to discover on one single day of action shows what they are dealing with and the high value of the illegal trade in tobacco.

"We want to send a very clear message to unscrupulous retailers that we will take the strongest action to remove illegal products from our high streets."

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