The trade in illegal tobacco products across Kent has been disrupted by joint raids using sniffer dogs.

Five shops in three towns - Maidstone, Sittingbourne and Dover - were visited by Kent Trading Standards, working with Kent Police and the HMRC.

They were accompanied by specially trained tobacco and cash detection dogs, named Griff, Bran and Maggie.

The teams seized 163 vapes, 153,200 cigarettes, 75.5kg of hand-rolling tobacco, and 160 packets of shisha, all of which were illegal.

Additionally, £10,000 cash was seized from a shop in Maidstone.

The illegal stock had been concealed in sophisticated hides, including a tunnel that officers had to crawl through to locate a stash of illicit tobacco products.

During the operation, additional intelligence led the team to another location, where an additional 60,000 cigarettes and some hand-rolling tobacco was also seized.

James Whiddett, the operations manager for Kent Trading Standards, said: “This was a highly successful operation.

“Our staff, working alongside partner agencies, maximized the effectiveness of the day by targeting illegal tobacco and vapes.

“The team’s efforts were bolstered by specialist search dogs, capable of locating hidden stashes of illegal tobacco products in shops.

“By working together, we are making our communities safer by removing these dangerous and illegal products from our high streets.”

Mr Whiddett said illegal tobaco shops were a nationwide problem. He said: “Such shops all follow the same model of purporting to be a small food retailer, with large quantities of bulky, cheap items filling it up.”

Illicit tobacco is often connected to organised criminal groups

“The items are rarely purchased by customers, but just used as a front for selling large quantities of tobacco or vapes. In most of these shops, there are no attempts made to conceal the illicit tobacco, leaving it largely on display, or under the counter.

“It’s believed that these shops are making thousands of pounds per week from selling this illegal tobacco. The shops are generally cash-only businesses, which is then used to fund other criminality and deprives the local economy of legitimate income.”

Shops selling illegal tobacco can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the Stop Illegal Tobacco Hotline or phone 0300 999 6 999.

Kent Police Superintendent Pete Steenhuis said: “The results and the discovery of illegal goods in a concealed room just shows the lengths offenders will go to.

“The sale of illicit tobacco and vapes is often connected to the running and financing of organised criminal groups so it is important to stamp out this illegal trade. If left to thrive, it could result in increased criminal activity and associated issues for the wider community.”

“If people have any concerns or information that something similar is operating in their neighbourhood, I encourage them to report it and help stop the criminals.”