POLICE seized a haul of 600,000 cigarettes and 75 kilograms of rolling tobacco last week in an operation tackling counterfeit goods.
Gwent Police seized the suspect goods from a number of properties in and around Abergavenny and Blaenavon.
Two people have since been arrested – a man, 66, from the Blaenavon area; and a woman, 46, from the Abergavenny area.
Both have been released under further investigation.
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Detective sergeant Dave Trew, who led the operation, said: “If you are aware of anyone selling counterfeit goods, we would urge you to let us know so we can take action.
“All cigarettes are harmful, but counterfeit cigarettes can be made up of poor quality ingredients and can actually be more damaging to a person’s health than an ordinary cigarette, because the people who make these use the cheapest ingredients they can possibly find.
“Counterfeit goods are sold cheaply and tax is not paid, while the criminals who supply them make huge profits.
"If you are suspicious of anyone selling items in your local area, please call 101 to report it or send us a direct message via our Gwent Police Facebook or Twitter social media pages.”
Gwent Police's financial crime team will now work with Trading Standards and HMRC to identify the total criminal value of the seizure.
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