Latest news with #OperationCeCeScotland
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Illegal tobacco worth £3.5m seized during police raids in Scots town
Cops recovered the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from four properties in Dumfries town centre. Police have seized £3.5million worth of illegal tobacco following a series of raids in a Scots town. Cops recovered the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from four properties in Dumfries town centre. Three men – aged 25, 28 and 31 – have been arrested in connection with the find and the matter is also the subject of an HMRC investigation. Police and Dumfries and Galloway Council's Trading Standards officers executed four warrants on Wednesday morning. Around 500,000 cigarettes, 103kg of hand-rolling tobacco and approximately £7,000 in cash were seized. The recovery is believed to represent a potential loss of more than £350,000 in duty and tax. Inspector Anna Boyd said: 'This is a significant recovery, and we will continue to work with our partners to deter and detect this type of criminality. 'I would encourage anyone with information about illegal cigarettes or tobacco within the local community to contact Dumfries and Galloway Council Trading Standards, Police Scotland on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Councillor Andy Ferguson, chairman of Dumfries and Galloway Council's economy and infrastructure committee, added: 'Officers from our trading standards team have taken part in a multi-agency operation this week with Police Scotland and HMRC in relation to illicit tobacco. 'Tobacco detection dog, Boo, is funded by SCOTSS (The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland) and helped trading standards officers carry out their duties. 'This operation is part of Operation CeCe Scotland – a nationwide partnership between Scottish councils and HMRC together with Police Scotland to tackle the retail sale of illegal tobacco products – and the recovery of these illicit goods is an important achievement in ensuring our communities remain safe and is a great example of successful partnership working.'
Scotsman
15-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Police and trading standards seize over 3,000 illegal cigarettes from Midlothian shop
Police and trading standards officers have seized more than 3,000 illegal cigarettes from a shop in Midlothian. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Midlothian Council said its trading standards team, assisted by Police Scotland and Consumer Protection Dogs UK, seized a total of 3,620 illegal cigarettes and 800g of tobacco from a shop in Dalkeith. This haul follows the same shop having nearly 10,000 cigarettes seized in two visits last year and other reports of illegal activity. The business could now face heavy fines from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Police and trading standards officers seized the illegal cigarettes and tobacco | TSPL Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Midlothian trading standards is part of Operation CeCe Scotland, a nationwide partnership between Scottish councils and the HMRC together with Police to tackle the retail sale of illegal tobacco products. They said the use premises like this shop as a front for the sale of illegal tobacco was becoming increasingly common across the country. Counterfeit cigarettes can pose a greater risk than normal cigarettes because they could contain higher levels of harmful and unknown chemicals and can also be a fire hazard since they are unlikely to have been been treated so a left cigarette extinguishes itself. Tell-tale signs of counterfeit goods are said to include cheap price and packaging, the absence of health warnings and health warnings which are not in English. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Midlothian Council leader Kelly Parry said: 'I welcome this seizure of illegal tobacco products. Our partnership working with Police Scotland and the HMRC is vital work which is helping to take illegitimate tobacco products off our streets and thereby protecting local communities and honest businesses. This seizure sends a clear message that this type of activity will not be tolerated."
