Telford and Wrekin: Sniffer dogs find fake cigarettes stash

Sniffer dogs found counterfeit cigarettes hidden behind a fake wall, the council said

Thousands of counterfeit cigarettes worth about £10,000 have been found by sniffer dogs in a raid on shops, a council says.

The 12,000 fake fags, along with a quantity of illegal vapes, were found by trading standards officers in Telford and Wrekin.

In one case, the dogs discovered cigarettes hidden behind a fake wall.

Five shops were searched in September and contraband was found in four of them, according to the authority.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had been made aware of the goods being sold in the area and worked with West Mercia Police on the raids.

It added searches also found 40 bottles of unlabelled, homemade wine.

"Fake cigarettes, vapes and alcohol can put lives at risk and fund other criminal activities," councillor Richard Overton said.

"Our officers are continuing to gather the evidence in this case and people can be assured appropriate action will be taken."