Sniffer dog discovers illegal tobacco in Worthing
Cooper made the discovery in December
Last updated 13th Jan 2021
Some may find it a challenge to uncover nearly 5,000 packs of illegal tobacco, but it's all a day's work for one West Sussex sniffer dog!
Working with officers from West Sussex Trading Standards, Cooper helped uncover the illegal tobacco at a premises in Worthing last month.
He found 4,600 packets of tobacco and also alerted officers that a safe in the building contained even more.
The owner denied having the keys to open it meaning West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service had to use specialist equipment to open it.
The safe contained 209 packets of fake cigarettes and 56 pouches of illicit tobacco.
West Sussex Trading Standards Service is continuing to investigate this incident.
Richard Sargeant, West Sussex Trading Standards Team Manager, said:
“Sniffer dogs like Cooper play an absolutely vital role in uncovering fake, illegal tobacco and cigarettes. Without Cooper’s help, Trading Standards officers would never have known it contained so many packs of dangerous tobacco and cigarettes.
“I would also like to say a big thank you to the firefighters from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service who were able to open the safe using specialist equipment.
"Their skills and help meant we could gain access to the safe without the key. This was an excellent example of partnership working and the involvement of WSFRS will undoubtedly help bring these sellers of fake tobacco and cigarettes to justice.
“Our criminal investigation into this matter continues.”
Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, said:
“Stopping the sale of fake tobacco and cigarettes is incredibly important and Cooper, along with Trading Standards officers and WSFRS firefighters, has done an excellent job in uncovering these large stores in Worthing.
“Fake tobacco and cigarettes are often much cheaper than legitimate products, making them an attractive option for younger people and therefore encouraging them to start smoking. They also come with many health risks and the fact that they often do not self-extinguish makes them particularly dangerous.”
Jon Lacey, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said:
“We are always happy to support our colleagues across the County Council, and when it became clear that Trading Standards team needed specialist cutting equipment to get into the safe to help them secure evidence from the scene, we were only too happy to offer our support.”