Lead Members Welcome Tobacco and Alcohol Seizures

News that £1,646,000 cigarettes, 700 kilos of tobacco and 3,000litres of alcohol has been seized across North Wales has welcomed by Senior Wrexham Councillors.

Last Friday Wrexham.com reported that there had been significant seizures of tobacco and alcohol from premises across North Wales.

Between the 14th, 15th and 16th July around 40 officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), with support from North Wales Police, UK Border Agency, and Flintshire, Wrexham, Conwy and Denbingshire Trading Standards officers, visited 55 retail premises, private addresses and self-storage units on.

The visits, as part of HMRC’s Tobacco Taskforce activity, led to tobacco and alcohol products being seized at 15 locations. These included:

– 1,646,000 cigarettes, with a potential £545,700 duty and VAT evaded
– 700 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco, with a potential £170,800 duty and VAT evaded
– 3000 litres of alcohol, with a potential £38,600 duty and VAT evaded

Speaking about the operation, Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council said: “I would like to thank everyone involved in such a successful operation. The figures involved are staggering and I encourage anyone with information to contact the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.”

Lead Member for Health and Adult Social Care, Cllr Joan Lowe added: “The harmful effects of smoking and alcohol are sadly very well known and, in addition to affecting health, they also come at a huge price to our health care resources across the country. It is very encouraging to see a joint approach across North Wales to clamp down on such criminal activity.