The ECHO joined a visit to five shops across the city as part of a clamp down on illegal trades
The ECHO joined a visit to five shops across the city as part of a clamp down on illegal trades
Illegal cigarettes seized in raid
A seven-word question from a police officer led to thousands of pounds’ worth of illegally imported cigarettes being uncovered from the boot of a car outside a shop in Liverpool. Officers from Liverpool Council’s alcohol and tobacco unit (ATU), alongside representatives from Merseyside Police, undertook a series of visits to shops across the city in their efforts to clamp down on counterfeit trading.
Illicit cigarettes worth thousands of pounds and Viagra were seized from five shops in Liverpool as part of a joint swoop. The LDRS were invited to join the teams as they visited each location.
At one store on County Road in Walton, a standoff between officials and a worker almost led to police having to smash in a car window to recover thousands of pounds’ worth of illicit stock. The teams were accompanied by specially trained detection dogs to identify the contraband.
Mike Hearty is a public protection enforcement officer within the ATU and has led a number of visits to shops across Liverpool. He said: “When we go in, they all talk, these people.”
He’s often joined by his colleague Mark Wainwright. He added: “All of the operators are on WhatsApp with each other.
“We got to one, and it stank of bleach; they must have had a tip off.” Mike said: “The mop was still there.
“They’re quite switched on, but they don’t expect us on a Sunday. We still find it, though.”
The team, who are working alongside sniffer dogs Skye and Dora, are briefed at Edge Lane police station before heading out alongside two police officers. Jenny Coyle is part of the ATU team.
She said: “It’s so much easier with the dog, as they can find what we might not be able to. There’s a lot of money in it, the concealments with the magnets.
“There are massive rectangular ones that look like bricks.” Officers make their first stop at Aden News on Prescot Road, where immediately there’s a breakthrough.
Behind the counter among the panelling is a neatly hidden concealment that pulls out like a drawer. Within it are 800 cigarettes and five packets of tobacco which have not had duty paid on them and are counterfeit.
It’s not the first time the team has visited the shop, as Mark explains. He said: “What they tend to do is not carry as much once we’ve seized stuff the first time.”
A search by the dog handling team also uncovers a further 280 cigarettes that are duty-free. The member of staff on duty is given a receipt of what is taken before the team leaves.
Rather than cigarettes at Pilch Lane News, it’s tablets that are seized during a second search. On what is a third visit to the business, officers find five gel sachets and eight Viagra tablets in a blister pack.
While some Viagra items are now sold over the counter, this is at the discretion of a qualified pharmacist. Boots sells a pack of two tablets for £11.99.
Mark said: “It has the price on it in rupees, meaning they’re being brought over from India; they’re probably selling these for £1 a go.”
Mike added: “They’re acting like a pharmacist out of a corner shop.”
At Krakus on County Road, the officers make an immediate discovery, with handfuls of illegal cigarettes barely hidden inside the pockets of two staff members working inside. This particular haul had been left at the back of a shop.
One trading standards officer found three different packets of illegal cigarettes during the search of one staff member who claimed to be smoking them all. These included brands by the names of Englishman, Dunhill and Rothmans.
Searches aren’t always limited to the inside of the shop. Mike said: “We can look in anything associated with being used for storage: cars, storage units, things like that.”
During a routine search of the two staff members, three sets of car keys were found, yet miraculously, one disappeared from view. A check by police found one vehicle, a Ford Fiesta, didn’t contain a battery, while a BMW car – from which the keys seemingly vanished – was registered to one of the workers.
After maintaining there had only been two sets, the worker was told his car could be seized. With a standoff ensuing, he was asked a question by a police officer that seemed to change his mind.
“Which window would you rather we smashed?” This can be done if officers have reasonable grounds to suspect it is being used for illegal activity.
Moments later, a set of BMW keys was found on the floor and in the boot; 1,800 illegally imported cigarettes were found, alongside logbooks for additional orders. It is thought they would cost around £1,500.
The shop was also reported to the council’s environmental health team after flies were seen around an overflowing bin at the back of the shop alongside uncovered fresh vegetables. These had been left strewn all over the floor of a cluttered storeroom.
Mike explained there is a huge public health risk around cigarettes that aren’t correctly checked. He said: “People might not be able to afford them, but they don’t know what they’re smoking with this stuff.
“Illegal vapes are finished now because of the new legislation; a lot of places are going back to illicit cigarettes.” This was certainly the case at Select and Save on St Domingo Road.
Search dog Dora indicated to her handler that something was present at the back of the shop next to a large fridge of soft drinks. Hidden within a neat concealment were more than 2,500 cigarettes and a further 60 Viagra tablets.
It is thought they would be worth just shy of £1,000. Mike said: “They’re trying to keep things close to hand; whenever they sell, they’ll disappear for 20 to 30 seconds and then come back with these.”The items are seized by the ATU and destroyed.
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