Millions of illegal cigarettes and tonnes of tobacco off streets thanks to Wagtail UK Ltd Our highly-trained teams of sniffer dogs are responsible for ridding the streets of millions of counterfeit cigarettes and tonnes of illegal tobacco thanks to a number of raids with Trading Standards officers and police forces across the UK. In less than a week in April alone, dogs from Wagtail UK sniffed out five tonnes of illegal tobacco and more than 2 million illegal cigarettes. Our detection dogs work with Trading Standards officers and police forces up and down the country, and recent operations included successful raids in Preston and Burnley with Lancashire County Council, which saw a large haul of illicit tobacco seized from cunning hiding places at two shops. Newspaper reports suggest the illicit products are worth around £12,000 if genuine. The operation on April 24th was mounted with the assistance of Lancashire Police, and one of our highly-skilled detection dogs. The dog was used after officers had been unable to find stashes during previous inspections, despite both shops having sold illicit tobacco during test purchasing operations, and a stream of supporting intelligence. The cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco were found hidden in a flat above the Preston shop, and concealed beneath a manhole cover in the back yard of the Burnley shop. The items were a mixture of counterfeit and non-duty paid tobacco, all in banned colourful child-appealing packaging, and most bearing foreign health warnings. Days earlier, 80,000 cigarettes and 20kg of tobacco, all believed to be counterfeit, were seized with the help of one of our dogs in Stoke-on-Trent - with the goods stashed behind false walls, in hidden cupboards and underneath shelving units. Nine convenience stores across the city were targeted in raids by police, Trading Standards and immigration officials on April 18th and 19th. As well as the tobacco, police also seized two vehicles, a number of mobile phones and £1,000 in cash. Four people were also reported to Immigration Services. Each week, Wagtail has teams of illegal tobacco sniffer dogs out in action across the country. People can get a first-hand experience of their work by signing up to a Detection Dog Taster Day. Visitors spend the day with professional trainers and operational handlers learning more about industry expectations, training standards, methods of training and routes into employment. Taster Days will be held next on Friday, August 2nd and Friday, November 1st. They cost £130, which includes a buffet lunch and refreshments. Call 01745 561166 or email info@wagtailuk.com for more information. Wagtail UK Ltd || www.wagtailuk.com|| +44(0) 1745 561166 03
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