Trading Standards Operation On Wrexham’s Self Storage Industry

A day long operation led by Wrexham Trading Standards in partnership with North Wales Police and Wagtail UK, has targeted the self-storage industry in Wrexham.

During the day officers raised awareness of Trading Standards work to clamp down on illicit tobacco, counterfeit goods and unsafe products across the county.

Officers worked with highly trained tobacco detection dogs as part of a Wales-wide Operation Fetch initiative to tackle the supply of counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco, the use of tobacco detection dogs has been made possible as a result of Welsh Government funding.

Using a team of detection dogs, Buster, Ozzie, and Murphy provided by Wagtail UK, a thorough search of these facilities was made which wouldn’t have been possible with just Trading Standards Officers themselves. On the day no illicit tobacco was discovered. However every self-storage facility approached, welcomed visits by the law enforcement agencies involved and they support best practice to clamp down on illegal activity and criminality which is present in other areas in the UK.

This industry does not tolerate the storage of any illegal product and will remove people who do not comply with their terms of use.

Welcoming the work of Officers, Councillor David A Bithell, Lead Member for Environment and Public Protection said: “Counterfeit and other illegal tobacco does great harm in the community. Its cheapness and ease of supply are particularly attractive to young people and others on low incomes, and it eliminates the price incentive for existing smokers to quit the habit

!I’m delighted to see tobacco detection dogs being put to such great use in sniffing out this significant threat to health.

“Now relationships have been developed between law enforcement agencies and the self-storage industry we will continue to work together to protect consumers, legitimate retailers and businesses by clamping down on the storage and supply of illegal products.”