A haul of illegal cigarettes were found stashed in a fridge in a Byker shop.
The cigarettes, thought to be worth around £2,000, were discovered in a secret compartment in the property on Shields Road.
The stash was uncovered after Newcastle City Council received a tip-off about the business being involved in the sale of illegal cigarettes.
Trading Standards officers attended the premises alongside Northumbria Police to investigate and found 302 packets of illegal cigarettes and 41 packets of hand-rolling tobacco stored in a hidden space on top of a fridge inside the building.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: “Illegal tobacco is a familiar problem for our officers and we rely on members of the public to help us prevent criminals profiting from this activity.
“We know illegal tobacco has links to organised crime and it can have serious health implications for members of the public. Those who continue to flout the law are becoming more and more intricate in their deception.
“But together with our partners we will continue to work hard to hit those breaking the law where it hurts by disrupting their operations and showing it will never be tolerated in any part of our city.”
If you have information about the sale of illegal tobacco, report it to the Keep it Out campaign at keep-it-out.co.uk or call 0300 999 0000 – it’s quick, easy and completely anonymous.
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