A POLICE crackdown in Halliwell has uncovered 10,000 cigarettes being sold illegally.

Operation Spartan has been running for three months, with the aim of cutting crime in both Halliwell and Crompton, chiefly burglary and drug dealing.

Dozens of people have already been arrested, and officers supported Trading Standards in visiting businesses on Monday, January 12.

Inside one store, using sniffer dogs, police found cigarettes hidden in a hollowed out wall behind some shelving units.

Across two premises, police recovered 10,000 cigarettes.

An investigation, spearheaded by Bolton Council's Trading Standards and Trading Standards Illicit Tobacco Team, is now ongoing into both shops.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

Sgt Jon Seeds, from Operation Spartan, said: "On Monday, January 12, a specialist search dog which is trained to sniff out tobacco was deployed and located cigarettes concealed in a hollowed out wall deliberately hidden behind shelving units.

"This was not about stopping people buying cheap cigarettes this was about the continued disruption of criminality by the partnership agencies and building an intelligence profile of criminal activity in the area.

"Trading standards are continuing the investigation and will lead the prosecution of the offenders. In total 10,000 cigarettes were recovered from two premises during the operation."

Police carried out a Day of Action in early December as part of their work on the operation, and arrested a number of suspects offended

The action involved Trading Standards, immigration services, Bolton at Home and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS).

Officers seized £3,000 in cash and nearly £500 of cannabis from a house in Arnold Street after breaking its door down.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of the supply of cannabis and taken away in a police van.

Elsewhere, a man in his mid-30s was arrested in Halliwell on suspicion of being in the UK illegally.

A 43-year-old man was arrested in Higher Bridge Street, Halliwell in relation to a theft.

Sgt Seeds added: "The community support officers have been supporting those most vulnerable, visiting their homes conducting crime prevention surveys and advising the house holder how to make their homes and personal possessions safe.

"The simple message is that statistics show that getting into a routine of locking up and making their homes and vehicles secure would prevent a high percentage of crime in the area."

Operation Spartan continues and anyone with information about a crime in Halliwell should ring police on 0161 8565761.