Huge haul of fake cigarettes seized in Staffordshire
Fake cigarettes worth around £75,000 and booze sold illegally were seized in Staffordshire over the last year.
Staffordshire County Council's trading standards team, who recovered the cigarettes from across the region, received a £35,000 government grant to crack down on the problem.
The team seized more than 150,000 of the cigarettes, which could contain dangerous chemicals.
An operation between April 2015 and last month saw the cigarettes and almost 50kg of hand rolling tobacco, 100 litres of illicit vodka, 500 bottles and 265 cans of illegal alcohol removed from sale at an off licence, which didn't have an alcohol permit and four licence reviews undertaken.
And two £20,000 fines were dished out by Immigration Enforcement for businesses who were employing illegal workers.
The county council will receive government funding again for the upcoming year to help continue its crackdown.
