Suspected bogus cigarettes, vapes and stamps worth £80k seized in Wigan borough flat raid

Tens of thousands of pounds of suspected counterfeit goods have been confiscated by police in one of the biggest local hauls of its kind.
By Charles Graham
Published 22nd Sep 2023, 08:18 GMT
Updated 22nd Sep 2023, 08:18 GMT
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Officers had gone to premises above a food shop on Railway Road, Leigh, to execute an arrest warrant.

But while the suspect wasn’t there, they instead came across a large quantity of tobacco, vapes and stamps, all thought to be counterfeit, and together estimated to be worth around £80,000.

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All the goods were seized following the raid on Sunday September 10.

Police had gone to the address in Railway Road, Leigh, to make an arrest but came away instead with an estimated £80,000 worth of suspected counterfeit goodsPolice had gone to the address in Railway Road, Leigh, to make an arrest but came away instead with an estimated £80,000 worth of suspected counterfeit goods
Police had gone to the address in Railway Road, Leigh, to make an arrest but came away instead with an estimated £80,000 worth of suspected counterfeit goods
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GMP Leigh, Atherton and Hindley have since given a breakdown of what was taken:

Illicit tobacco – a mixture of illegal imported and fakes- 5,168 packs – (value £31,000);

Illegal disposable vapes - 1,305 (value £13,000);

Suspected counterfeit stamps – 22,500 (value £36,000).

Wigan Trading Standards have taken ownership of the case and are investigating a local businessman said by police to be responsible for the haul: one of the biggest ever seizures of this kind in the Wigan area.