An ongoing operation to combat the sale of illicit and counterfeit tobacco across Staffordshire has resulted in seizures worth more than £190,000.

In the last twelve months, Staffordshire County Council's Trading Standards service has visited 24 premises. Officers recovered more than 83 kg of hand rolling tobacco with a retail value of over £26,000 and 320,000 cigarettes with a retail value of almost £165,000.

Nub News reported last month how 5,000 cigarettes and 60 pouches of tobacco, all believed to be counterfeit, were found following a raid on a high street store in Biddulph.

The Staffordshire seizures are part of Operation CeCe, a UK wide campaign to clamp down on the sales of illicit tobacco. Since the start of the operation, an estimated £7 million in illegal tobacco has been recovered nationally, including 13 million cigarettes and 4,300 kilos of rolling tobacco.

Staffordshire Trading Standards Officers work with Staffordshire Police, other government agencies and specialised search dog teams in their operations.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council said: "The sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco is a crime which damages local communities and we're pleased with last year's success.

"The supply of illegal tobacco in Staffordshire is no greater than anywhere else but does present a significant problem. In the UK it is estimated that about 1 in 10 of all cigarettes and half of all hand rolling tobacco are not duty paid. The illegal trade in tobacco also has strong links to organised crime and illicit tobacco can have a devastating effect on people's health.

"Our Trading Standards officers work with a range of partner agencies to ensure that when they receive information about the sale of illicit tobacco, they are able to take a co-ordinated response to ensure those responsible for supplying it are dealt with swiftly and effectively. We do rely on information from the public, so I would urge people to get in touch with the service."

Anyone with information about the sale of counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes in Staffordshire should call the Fight the Fakes hotline on 01785 330356 or visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/fakes

People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.uk or call 0800 555 111.