Counterfeit tobacco worth £25,000 found
Western Morning News September 14, 2011
Trading standards officers have seized counterfeit tobacco with
a street value estimated at more than £25,000.
The 125kg haul was found in black bin liners, along with around
3,000 yet-to-be-filled tobacco pouches, from a premises in the
Cornwall.
Martin Fisher, of the county's Trading Standards Service, said the
seizure was part of an ongoing investigation. He urged smokers to
think twice before buying cheap tobacco.
"While this batch of tobacco has not yet been tested,
counterfeit tobacco has been known in the past to contain levels of
chemicals at over 70 times the strength of legitimate tobacco
products. Smokers should not to be tempted by cheap tobacco as they
don't know what it contains."
Counterfeit tobacco is becoming an increasing problem, with
criminals taking care to ensure it looks exactly like the genuine
brands.
Mr Fisher said fake brands even contained health warnings
printed in other languages to fool customers into believing they
have bought non-UK duty paid tobacco.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference
between counterfeit and genuine tobacco," he added.
