Arrest as police seize £20k of tobacco and vapes

Drug detection dog Skye found a secret compartment where illegal vapes were being sold

Police have seized £20,000 of illegal tobacco and vapes following raids on five shops.

Cumbria Police worked with Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement officers to target the Carlisle stores suspected of selling the illegal goods.

One shop used a secret compartment to hide the tobacco but the force said its detection dog, Skye, managed to sniff out the contraband.

An Iraqi man was also arrested during the raids on suspicion of having "no permission to work in the UK", the Home Office said.

"One shop thought they could outfox the law with a false wall and secret compartment where they were passing the illegal tobacco and vapes through," a Cumbria Police spokesperson said.

The illegal goods will be destroyed by Trading Standards officers

Cumberland Council said: "Any non-compliant goods found during these operations are seized and destroyed.

"The public can play a key role in helping to keep illicit products off the streets by contacting Trading Standards with concerns."

The Home Office said unlicensed trade in such goods fuels organised crime and "undermines legitimate businesses".