Cigarettes and vapes seized from shops in 'crackdown'

Trading Standards at Renfrewshire Council along with cops and consumer protection dogs have been inspecting tobacco and vapes being sold at retail premises in the Renfrewshire area in recent months.

The team alongside tobacco detection dog Boo has seized more than £126,000 worth of counterfeit items from ten shops. 

Tobacco detection dog Boo (Image: Renfrewshire Council)

During the inspections, Labrador and German Pointer-cross Boo helped discover concealed tobacco in four of the premises and illegal products were recovered behind the counter in all ten.

In total, 4,596 packets of cigarettes and 19.45kg of Hand Rolling Tobacco were seized, examined, and found to be in breach of regulations.

READ MORE: 'Good dog!': Detection dog sniffs out 9000 counterfeit cigarettes in Glasgow shops

Meanwhile, 1,925 Nicotine Vapour Products were recovered which were identified as being non-compliant – with appropriate enforcement action now underway.

READ MORE: Meet detection dog Boo who recently sniffed out 200k counterfeit fags in Glasgow

Boo on a previous operation (Image: Glasgow City Council)

Councillor Marie McGurk, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s communities and housing policy board said: “Officers within our Trading Standards team and at Police Scotland deserve great credit for removing these illegal and counterfeit items from sale – as does detection dog Boo!

“Not only are they illegal, but they can pose a serious danger to people’s health if they are using a product that is not as presented so I would encourage everyone to ensure they consider this before purchasing these types of products.

“We want to encourage everyone to lead active, healthy lives so please take this as a warning that you may not know what you are putting into your body when you purchase a nicotine product and if you want to give up then you can access support from the NHS – take that first step as soon as you can.”

Three-year-old Boo started her training as a puppy by learning to scent dry leaf tobacco in a range of busy and noisy environments to prepare for her role as a detection dog – with two other puppies from her litter now scenting out explosives.

Local Area Commander, Chief Inspector Alexandra Marshall, said: “We will continue to work with our partners to gather intelligence and carry out joint operations to deter this type of criminality.

“We are determined to crack down on illegal and counterfeit items to reduce the harm they pose and make our communities safer.

"I would encourage anyone with information about illegal cigarettes or tobacco within the local community to contact us through 101, or alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”