More than one million undeclared cigarettes uncovered at Thurrock ports
This follows a joint enforcement operation involving Thurrock Council's Trading Standards Imports Team and Border Force.
More than one million undeclared cigarettes have been found at Thurrock's ports.
A joint enforcement operation on the 22nd September at Tilbury Port and London Gateway Port saw the use of specialist nicotine detection dogs, Milo and Grace.
The council's Imports Team discovered a container of interest, which was examined.
Officers discovered boxes that had been turned inside out to disguise their contents.
They were found to contain cigarettes and were referred to Border Force for further examination.
The following enforcement activity resulted in the discovery of 1.125 million undeclared cigarettes.
Cllr Russell Cherry, Cabinet Member for Veterans, Enforcement and Environment, said: “Thurrock is home to some of the UK’s most important ports, which means our Trading Standards officers have a vital role in supporting efforts to stop illegal and potentially unsafe products before they reach communities here and across the country.
“This joint operation demonstrates the value of intelligence-led enforcement and partnership working with Border Force, specialist detection teams and our port operators.
“The discovery of more than one million undeclared cigarettes is a significant result and highlights the scale of the challenge faced by officers working at our ports.
“By working together to disrupt the supply of illicit products, we are helping to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses and ensure those who break the rules are held to account.”