News

A trading standards raid in Croydon last week seized 175,000 illegal cigarettes estimated to be worth more than £100,000. The discovery, made by specialist search dogs from Wales based B.W.Y Canine, has prompted the council to issue an urgent health warning over sales of cheap tobacco, and the threat to youngsters lured by the offer of cut-price cigarettes.

When Trading Standards want to find a hidden stash of illegal tobacco, they normally require the expertise of a highly trained canine. One of the most sophisticated illegal tobacco concealments was found recently in a Derbyshire shop, thanks to Cooper, a four year old search dog who has undergone many months of specialist training. We talk to Stuart Phillips, possibly the UKs most experienced illegal tobacco search expert during Operation CeCe in Derbyshire.

An operation has successfully been carried out in Worcester, where an estimated £10,000 worth of counterfeit and illicit tobacco was seized.

West Mercia Police carried out the operation yesterday (13 September) in partnership with Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards Team, to seize the illegal tobacco from two premises in Worcester City Centre.

Meet Griff and Kevin, two new puppies being trained to help with the fight against illegal tobacco crime in the UK.

Griff, a 15 week old Springer Spaniel from Jersey and Kevin, a 13 week old Working Cocker Spaniel bred here in Wales are to be trained by multi-award winning dog trainer Stuart Phillips from Pembrokeshire based B.W.Y Canine. 

TWO Pembrokeshire-based sniffer dogs have proved once again they are canine crime-fighters, this time sniffing out a huge haul of cannabis in the west Midlands, thought to have a street value of up to £200,000.