Spy film style hidden hatches reveal thousands worth of illegal tobacco in Yorkshire

West Yorkshire Police has found thousands of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes in spy film-style hiding places in Huddersfield. Officers have found hundreds of packets of illegal cigarettes and vapes stored behind a false wall in Huddersfield retailers on Thursday (Jan 11) that could have gone to “directly fund organised crime”. During the seizure in Huddersfield, officers found illegal materials concealed within a false wall, with access gained via a disguised electrically controlled hatch.

A total of 144 packets of cigarettes were found in Thursday’s operation as well as 231 illegal vapes and many large packets of rolling tobacco.

Hidden spy-style film hatches concealed thousands worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes

Inspector Mark Pattinson of Kirklees Police said: “People may see the sale of illegal cigarettes as not as harmful as other types of criminality, but it is well proven that money raised from illegal tobacco sales can be used to directly fund organised crime. “These illegal products can also be more harmful to public health due to lack of regulation and testing and it is important we act to restrict their sales. “In this latest operation officers discovered a significant quantity of illegal cigarettes, tobacco and vapes inside the premises which the owners had attempted to conceal within a false wall, with access gained via a disguised electrically controlled hatch.”

Police and trading standards officers have now recovered significant quantities of illegal tobacco and vape goods in a series of operations over the last 12 months as this seizure follows on from the discovery of more than GBP100,000 of carefully concealed illegal and potentially dangerous tobacco in Dewsbury last October.

Contraband from those raids was found in locations including a hinged wall hidden behind a bathroom mirror and a concealed cupboard hidden behind a false fuse board.