Police stunned by ‘ingenious’ hiding of illegal tobacco and vapes at raided Yorkshire stores

Two Dewsbury shops were raided in a combined operation involving West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Trading Standards that seized tobacco and vapes worth more than £100,000.

In addition to the tobacco, officers seized illegal disposable vapes containing more than the legal maximum of 2ml of liquid, around 600 puffs.

A sniffer dog sound a stash that was secreted in a section of hinged false wall hidden behind a bathroom mirror, which slid up within its frame.

Sgt Stuart Clarke, of the Dewsbury and Mirfield Neighbourhood Policing Team, described some of the methods used to store illicit products as ingenious.

“Some of the premises had hidden the tobacco in specially-designed hides, reminiscent of James Bond-style gadgets,” he said.

“In one case a false fuse on an electrical consumer board released the board to reveal a hidden cupboard filled with illegal tobacco.”

The operation was the latest in a series of raids in Kirklees to clamp down on illegal and counterfeit goods sales.