More than 11,000 illegal cigarettes and £4,000 in cash seized during multi-agency operation in Fleet

More than 11,000 illegal cigarettes and £4,000 in cash has been seized following a multi-agency operation organised by the Fleet Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Local officers carried out planned and coordinated visits at several retail premises on Fleet Road on Wednesday 2 September.

Our team was assisted by key partners agencies, including HMRC, Hampshire County Council Trading Standards, the local Licensing Team and Immigration Enforcement.

During a visit at one store, officers located 389 packets of non-duty paid cigarettes that had been hidden inside a wooden drawer underneath the till.

Officers were able to locate the cigarettes thanks to the help of a sniffer dog who specialises in finding tobacco. The dog later located 170 packets of cigarettes inside the boot of a car which was linked to the shop.

In total, 11,180 cigarettes – which had a street value of approximately £8,385 – were seized. A further 197 packets of 50g hand rolling tobacco – worth approximately £6,895 – were also located in the shop and car. The total value of all illegal tobacco items seized was approximately £15,280.

Meanwhile, £4,000 in cash, suspected to be linked to criminal activity, was seized from another store.

Read our full press release here: More than 11,000 illegal cigarettes and £4,000 in cash seized during multi-agency operation in Fleet | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary