More than £400,000 worth of illegal cigarettes were seized by police who pulled over two 'suspicious' vans in Harpurhey on Saturday evening (October 10).
Officers recovered more than 20,000 packets of suspected counterfeit cigarettes after being alerted to the vehicles shortly before 7pm. A 48-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing smuggled goods and remains in custody for questioning.
Police stop leads to major seizure
Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: "A stop by officers last night resulted in an estimated £400,000 worth of counterfeit cigarettes being taken off the streets. Shortly before 7pm on Saturday evening (10 October), officers were made aware of two suspicious vans driving in the Harpurhey area."
Officers attended the area and soon identified the vehicles, which were searched and found to contain a vast amount of suspected illicit cigarettes. More than 20,000 packets of cigarettes – each containing 20 cigarettes and valued at £20 each – were discovered during the searches. The total value is estimated at upwards of £400,000.
Joint investigation launched
A joint investigation has now been launched by GMP, HMRC and Trading Standards. Officers are liaising with both agencies to progress the investigation.
GMP warned that illicit and counterfeit cigarettes can contain materials and substances not normally included in products available in the UK, increasing the risk and dangers of their use.
Detective warns of hidden criminality
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Morley, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: "The illegal selling of counterfeit goods can involve a wide-range of criminality that people don’t see – from exploitation and theft to violence and more.
"It is important that we take action wherever possible to combat the distribution of illicit goods, and last night’s work proved to be a significant result in this effort.
"We are continuing to progress the investigation and will be conducting further enquiries with partners in due course."
