A raid by Trading Standards discovered more than £4 million of illicit tobacco at a lock-up in Bolton – one of the biggest discoveries of illicit tobacco anywhere in the country.
A team from Bolton Council and GMP Bolton acted on a tip-off and attended the lock-up, the location of which cannot be revealed at this time for legal reasons, on Wednesday.
They discovered 28 boxes, more than six tonnes, of raw tobacco which was destined for illegal manufacture. The raw tobacco is mixed with other substances to increase its volume, including animal faeces and dead insects.
It was seized and an investigation was started into the discoveries.
Sue Haworth, the council's cabinet member for regulatory services, said: "This is the biggest Trading Standards seizure in Bolton's history, and one of the largest of its kind anywhere in the UK.
"The raid was possible thanks to the intelligence that was shared with us. I urge anyone with similar information to come forward so that together we can end the sale of illicit tobacco in Bolton."
Chief Superintendent Steph Parker, GMP Bolton's district commander, added: "GMP takes the production and distribution of illegal substances and counterfeit goods extremely seriously and we are continuing to be committed in removing these goods from our streets.
"This raid was a success thanks to the intelligence that was shared with us and by working closely with local authorities and Bolton Council to make this possible.
"Ultimately, this raid resulted in a positive seizure of a large amount of illegal tobacco, which has thankfully been removed from circulation and our community, further protecting the public from these extremely dangerous and harmful products.
"We are continuing to be relentless in our pursuit of serious and organised crime and I want to take this opportunity to encourage the public to continue reporting any illegal activity so we can act and make Bolton an even safer place to live and work."
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or use the LiveChat on gmp.police.uk.
They can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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