Illegal cigarettes haul in Swansea in 2015

Trading Standards in Swansea has confirmed it seized more than 200 kg of counterfeit and illegal tobacco in 2015.

Swansea Council’s Trading Standards also seized 128,000 counterfeit cigarettes during the year.

The successful year follows joint operations between council officers and police, which has resulted in prison sentences for some of the people involved in storing and selling the fake goods.

In one operation in March 2015, police and trading standards swooped on an address in Sandfields and uncovered around 170kg of tobacco along with fake packaging and holographic stickers.

It was estimated the haul of tobacco was worth around £100,000. The individual caught with the tobacco was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Another case in September 2015 resulted in a prison sentence for a local man who was caught in a similar operation when police and trading standards discovered counterfeit tobacco at his property.

And in November a local man was given a 12 month community order after being caught with almost 20,000 counterfeit cigarettes at a property in Landore.

Cllr Mark Child, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Healthy City, said: “Our work with local police has meant that a significant amount counterfeit tobacco has been removed from the streets of Swansea during 2015.

“Counterfeit tobacco is completed unregulated and often contains large amounts of contaminates over and above what is found in legal tobacco items, adding seriously to the health risks.

“I am pleased that Trading Standards have been successful and we will continue to take decisive steps to remove illegal tobacco from the streets of Swansea in 2016.”