More than 46,000 illicit cigarettes have been seized in North Lanarkshire. 

North Lanarkshire Council’s Trading Standards team discovered 46,300 cigarettes, 780g of hand rolling tobacco and 1,640 nicotine vapour products which had tank sizes of between five and ten times the legal limits - a nicotine content equivalent to 400 cigarettes.

The items were seized from two premises in Wishaw with support from tobacco detection dogs Boo and Rosie. 

Glasgow Times:

Councillor Helen Loughran, convener of the environment and climate change committee, said: "Excellent work by Trading Standards has removed a significant amount of illicit cigarettes, tobacco and nicotine vapes from our communities, protecting the public from the health risks caused by these products.

“The trade in illegal tobacco creates a cheap source for tobacco for the public, including children and young people, who might otherwise be deterred by cost. Illicit tobacco products are sold at less than half the price of legal products, making them more appealing.

“Counterfeit products like some of those seized in Wishaw have been found to contain more tar and carbon monoxide than legal products, increasing the risks of smoking even further and have even been found to contain rat faeces, as they are not made with any quality assurance.”