A WYE Valley shop was one of three stores raided in a crackdown on illegal tobacco sales.

More than 21,000 cigarettes were seized in the raids, which included a swoop on Europe Quality Food in Brookend Street, Ross-on-Wye and two Hereford shops.

Around 20 officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), with support from West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and Herefordshire Council took part in the raids on Tuesday, January 30.

As well as the cigarettes, 8.7kg of hand-rolling tobacco was also removed, along with £1,600 seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Sergeant Duncan Reynolds, of West Mercia Police, said: "We are continually building up our intelligence picture to identify those individuals and businesses who are operating outside of the law and a number of future enforcement operations are planned."

A tobacco dog and their handler helped officers uncover cigarettes hidden in various parts of the shops.

Herefordshire Council’s principal Trading Standards officer, Tim Thorne, said: “We will continue to work with partner agencies to tackle serious criminals and protect honest local business and consumers."

All three shop owners were interviewed by HMRC officers and investigations are ongoing.

Richard Young, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market, which costs the UK around £2.5 billion a year."

He added: "We encourage anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco to contact our fraud hotline on 0800 788 887 or report it online."

Raids were also carried out at At International Food in Commercial Road, Hereford, where officers discovered cigarettes inside a hidden compartment that was fitted with an electro-magnetic lock and operated by a key fob, and Zabka in the city’s Eign Gate.