Hidden hatches at Huddersfield store conceal illegal tobacco and vapes

Police found hundreds of packets of illegal cigarettes and vapes behind a false wall in a Huddersfield shop

Hidden hatches which concealed illegal tobacco worth thousands of pounds were discovered during a raid in Huddersfield, police have said.

A total of 144 packets of cigarettes and 231 illegal vapes were found stashed behind a false wall at a shop on Thursday.

Large packets of rolling tobacco were also stowed behind the disguised panels, West Yorkshire Police said.

All of the illegal items would be destroyed, they added.

Proceeds from the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes can be used to fund organised crime, West Yorkshire Police said

The operation by West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards was part of a series of raids conducted in the region over the past 12 months.

Insp Mark Pattinson said: "People may see the sale of illegal cigarettes as not as harmful as other types of criminality, but it is well-proven that money raised from illegal tobacco sales can be used to directly fund organised crime.

"These illegal products can also be more harmful to public health due to lack of regulation and testing and it is important we act to restrict their sales."

Insp Pattinson said the owners of the premises had attempted to conceal the illegal goods within a false wall, with access gained "via a disguised electrically-controlled hatch".

A police spokesperson said the seizure followed on from the discovery of more than £100,000 of concealed illegal tobacco in Dewsbury last October.

Contraband from those raids was founds stored in locations "including a hinged wall hidden behind a bathroom mirror and a concealed cupboard hidden behind a false fuse board", they added.