Dog sniffs out illegal vapes and cigarettes in cars

A female HMRC officer kneeling down and examining boxes of cigarettes and tobacco. She is dressed in black, with blue plastic gloves on.Image source, Bedfordshire Police
Image caption,

The raid took place in Dunstable on Wednesday

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A sniffer dog has found hundreds of illegal vapes, cigarettes and pouches of tobacco stashed in cars.

It followed a raid by Bedfordshire Police, HMRC and Luton Borough Council trading standards on a shop in Dunstable on Wednesday.

At a nearby supermarket car park, 109 illegal vapes, 401 packets of illicit cigarettes and 57 pouches of counterfeit tobacco were found in a blue Ford Fiesta thanks to a tobacco dog from Wagtails UK.

A follow-up search of a silver Ford Fiesta at the rear of the raided shop uncovered 191 illegal vapes.

Vapes in their packaging in large plastic bags.Image source, Bedfordshire Police
Image caption,

The illegal items were being stored in two vehicles, police said

HMRC officers seized all the items and the vehicle in the car park, police said.

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