A sharp-nosed sniffer dog has been hailed a hero after uncovering a hidden stash of illegal cigarettes, vapes and potentially dangerous Viagra tablets in east London.
Springer spaniel Skye detected a suspicious scent coming from a locked box attached to the back of a bike outside a shop in Whitechapel while on patrol with Tower Hamlets council officers on June 11.
The ordinary-looking bike box had actually been used to stash a range of illicit goods, with Tower Hamlets Council warning that the illicit items could be dangerous.
The discovery was part of a wider two-day crackdown by the council targeting the sale of counterfeit and unsafe products.
Thanks to Skye’s sharp senses, council officers were able to seize 80 unlicensed Viagra tablets as well as 233 packets of illicit cigarettes.
A further seven packets of smokeless tobacco, 14 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco and 24 illegal vapes were also seized.
Four-year-old Skye is part of a new dog patrol service which was introduced in February as part of an £8 million anti-crime task force to tackle disorder.
Tower Hamlets has launched the initiative to support police with weapons sweeps, drug disruption and vehicle checks.
Skye’s discovery was part of a wider two-day crackdown by Tower Hamlets Council, targeting the sale of counterfeit and unsafe products.
In total, 5,840 illicit cigarettes (292 packets), 418 assorted illegal vapes, 2,055 packets of smokeless chewing tobacco and 80 unlicensed Viagra tablets were found.
Praising the operation’s success, Tower Hamlets councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury, said: “Counterfeit cigarettes, unregulated vapes, and unlicensed medicines can be really dangerous and have no place on our high streets.
“We take a proactive approach to smoke out illegal trading in Tower Hamlets and regularly use sniffer jobs, so there’s no place for such trading to hide.
“I’d like to thank our Trading Standards team and Skye who played a hero’s role in helping to keep our communities safe.”
