THE crackdown on the sale of illicit tobacco and hippie crack continued this week as more shops were raised.

Police and trading standard officers seized the substances during joint shop raids.

A specially trained sniffer dog was used to detect concealed illicit tobacco ­— which is smuggled or counterfeit products with no duty paid on them.

Town hall chiefs say such products have links to organised crime, does not raise tax for the NHS and encourages under-age customers to take up smoking.

And one retailer was found to be displaying canisters of the potentially dangerous gas nitrous oxide alongside balloons, which say officers, suggested it was being sold for recreational use.

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a legal product that can be sold for legitimate use in the catering industry.

However, it can also be used as a recreational psychoactive drug when inhaled from a balloon.

Popular with young people, the practice can cause dizziness and hallucinations, as well as the risk of it leading to dependency on hard drugs and alcohol.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Environment Regulatory Services, Cllr Hilary Fairclough, said:

“Let us be perfectly clear, there is no place in Bolton for the sale of these illegal and highly dangerous products.

“This is a real crime with real consequences for the health of Bolton residents, particularly young people.

“I assure those who continue to flout this law that the consequences for them will be suitably severe.

“Not only will we be pushing for the toughest legal penalties against the shop owners responsible, but they face losing their license to sell alcohol.”

The council are not naming the premises targeted in the raid

Anyone who suspects a retailer of selling illegal tobacco can report it anonymously via the Keep it Out website directly to Bolton Council Trading Standards