Council issues stern warning after illegal tobacco found in Rhyl shops

In planned operations, Trading Standards, supported by North Wales Police, continue to target premises where they have received intelligence about illegal tobacco.

In December, as part on ongoing enforcement work under “Operation CeCe”, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HMRC to tackle the illegal tobacco trade, significant quantity of illegal tobacco was seized in Rhyl and other towns in north Wales.

Cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco are often concealed in hidden parts of the shops to make it difficult to locate without specialist tobacco detection dogs.

Cllr Win Mullen-James, lead member for local development and planning, said, “All forms of tobacco products are harmful whether purchased from a legal or illegal source.

“But the illicit trade undermines efforts that have been made to reduce smoking, making it harder for smokers to quit and making it easier for non-smokers to start and ex-smokers to relapse.

“The availability and typically lower price of illicit tobacco also encourages young people to take up smoking and get hooked.

“Working with partner agencies and specialist detection dog teams we will continue to take robust enforcement action against any shop selling illicit tobacco in Denbighshire.

“As well as seizing stock found, store owners face prosecution and if they sell alcohol the presence of illegal tobacco can be grounds for their alcohol licence to be suspended or revoked.”

Sergeant Mark Jones, of the Neighbourhood Policing Team for North Wales Police in Rhyl, said: “We are committed to keeping people in Denbighshire safe from all manner of illegal activity.

“Together with our partner agencies, we will continue to crack down on those who continue to act illegally.

“Not only does this trade harm the local community, it often has links to wider criminal activity and we shall therefore continue to work with our partners to disrupt this illegal trade.

“I hope the results of this joint operation send a strong message that if shop owners deal in illicit tobacco, they should expect to be caught, have their stock removed and face criminal charges.”