Police and trading standards have carried out a raid at a shop in Bolton.

Officers were seen going into Bestys Off Licence on Halliwell Road.

The Bolton News: The item which were recovered

 

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Our Trading Standards Officers were involved in a joint operation with Greater Manchester Police earlier today, targeting a premises on Halliwell Road.

“Following a search, a quantity of illicit tobacco was discovered in the boot of a nearby car.

“We will continue to clamp down on irresponsible businesses owners who put the public at risk by selling these harmful products.”

One employee at  the store insisted there was no problem.

He said: "They came to do some checks but everything is clear."

He said the products were compliant.

Earlier this year the largest ever raid of counterfeit cigarettes in the UK took place in Bolton.

Police attended a lock up in the town after a tip off and found £4million of counterfit cigarettes which were later stacked up on Victoria Square.

The recovery included 28 boxes of raw tobacco which was destined for illegal manufacture.

And in March this year convenience stores in Farnworth and Kearsley were raided and police found what was beleived to be illegal e-cigarettes, counterfeit tobacco and sparklers.

Only last week, police carried out a night of action in Halliwell.

They seized hundreds of vapes and a large amount of cigarettes after night of raids in Halliwell last night, Thursday.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers were joined by council staff on Halliwell Road, where six warrants were carried out on two businesses and four houses.

Acting on information received from the community, the raids saw the seizures of 570 non-compliant vapes, cigarettes and 1.3kg of hand-rolled cigarettes, seized from a BMW vehicle, which was later towed.