Man arrested over £400k illicit cigarette haul

A man has been arrested after police seized illicit cigarettes with a street value of about £400,000.

Officers stopped two "suspicious" vans in the Harpurhey area of Manchester at about 19:00 BST on Saturday, Greater Manchester Police said.

More than 20,000 packets each containing 20 suspected counterfeit cigarettes were seized.

A 48-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of possession of smuggled goods and remains in custody for questioning.

Det Ch Insp Pete Morley, said the seizure was a "significant result".

"The illegal selling of counterfeit goods can involve a wide-range of criminality that people don't see – from exploitation and theft to violence and more," he said.

Officers were now liaising with His Majesty's Revenue and Customs and Trading Standards to progress the investigation, Morley said.

Illicit and counterfeit cigarettes can contain materials and substances not normally included in the products, increasing the risk and dangers of their use.

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