Salons and vape shops raided in crackdown

THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL CIGARETTES ARE SEIZED BY POLICE

- By LYRA AULD

POLICE have raided vape shops, barbers, corner shops and other businesses in Dewsbury and seized £84,000 of illegal cigarettes and vapes.

West Yorkshire Police have warned of the “crackdown” on illegal smoking products after seizing more than 60,000 counterfeit cigarettes, 30kg of rolling tobacco and hundreds of illegal vapes.

Enquiries remain ongoing by officers from Kirklees Police and West Yorkshire Trading Standards after their joint team of 30 officers raided seven businesses in Dewsbury and Ravensthorpe simultaneously on Wednesday as part of ongoing work to take sources of funding from criminal gangs.

A specially trained dog was also brought in by the teams to sniff out hidden stashes of cigarettes and vapes in some of the businesses visited.