Fake tobacco worth over £1000 seized at Bathgate Market

Jun 11 2009 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

HUNDREDS of pounds worth of fake goods have been seized during a raid on Bathgate Market.

The counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco were recovered in a joint operation between police and HM Revenue and Customs last Friday.

Customs officers say that if the sale of the goods had gone ahead, it would have meant a loss of revenue to the Treasury of over £1000.

And they add that while people buying the tobacco may do so to get a bargain, they are seriously risking their health at the same time.

HM Revenue and Customs spokesman Ron Barrie said: “While smoking is never good for you, in this country there are strict health and safety rules which have to be followed when tobacco products are being produced.

“But we are seeing a lot of counterfeit tobacco products coming in from the Far East, particularly China, and the danger is that these could have anything added into them.

“It’s often condemned tobacco which would not normally be used and is very dry, and could be mixed with anything from sawdust to rat droppings.

“And while the packaging may say that the cigarettes are low tar, they probably won’t be and could have many more carcinogenic ingredients than the genuine article.”

In Friday’s raid, customs and police officers carried out a disruption operation which saw them seize tobacco from a supplier who was transporting it to the market to be sold.

And the event saw 4.5 kg of counterfeit Golden Virginia tobacco worth £1035 and 1600 fake Regal cigarettes with a value of £440 seized.

The total duty and VAT which should have been paid on the products was £1019.13.

The officers also confiscated a mountain bike being used by the supplier to transport the tobacco to the market.

The customs officers also stress it is important that anyone tempted to buy fake products should consider where the proceeds of the sale are going.

“It isn’t always the case, but often smuggled or counterfeit products are being sold to fund organised crime and that can have far-reaching implications,” said Ron Barrie.

“However, it’s also worth remembering that by buying these cigarettes, legitimate businesses are missing out on sales and if that shop closes, the staff would lose their jobs and a valuable local service would be lost.”

A police spokesman said: “On Friday, June 5, a joint operation between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and police was carried out at Bathgate Traders Market.

“As a result of the operation a large quantity of hand rolling tobacco and counterfeit cigarettes was seized.”