TOBACCO smugglers operating out of County Durham have been raided by police who seized 9,600 cigarettes and 1.45kg of loose tobacco valued at nearly £2,000.

Police raided houses on North End Gardens, in Bishop Auckland, and Main Road, in nearby Eldon, at 8am yesterday. (Wednesday, February 18). Officers also searched Eldon Allotments.

They seized 29 pouches, or 1.45kg, of suspected hand rolling tobacco and the cigarettes, which are thought to be 'cheap whites' made exclusively for the illegal market.

The allotment search also uncovered a boiler, which is being investigated to see if it was stolen, and a bag of white powder which is being tested to see if it is drugs.

A bag of cannabis leaf and a Cube mountain bike was also seized by the officers at the allotments.

Durham County Council’s Trading Standards officers using sniffer dogs carried out the raids and they had support from police drawn from Bishop Auckland and Shildon.

None of the tobacco found carried the required UK Government health warnings.

Joanne Waller, head of environment, health and consumer protection, at the council, said: “Anyone found guilty of supplying counterfeit tobacco could face up to 10 years in jail and unlimited fines.

“In addition, their assets may be seized through proceeds of crime action.

“Stemming the supply of cheap and illicit tobacco is an essential tool in our fight to reduce smoking harm and achieve our vision of a smoke-free future for our children.

“We’ll continue to seek the harshest penalties against those who persist in this criminal behaviour.”

This was the latest in a series of operations carried out by the council which is tasked with stemming the supply of illicit tobacco in the county.

Ms Waller said: “Thanks to a wealth of intelligence from the public and honest businesses we are taking effective action against the illicit tobacco trade in the county.

“The use of tobacco dogs makes it easier for us to search large premises quickly and with minimal fuss and means there is no easy way for suppliers to evade detection.

“These dealers, if left unchecked, will continue to undermine the work of the stop smoking services and sidestep the controls in place to restrict young people’s access to tobacco.”

Information about illegal tobacco can be reported in confidence to Trading Standards on 03000-261016 or by emailing tradingstandards@durham.gov.uk

Details on illegal tobacco can be obtained via durham.gov.uk/illegaltobacco