A TEAM of sniffer dogs helped Trading Standards officers in Newport uncover an expensive haul of "illicit" products at two city shops.

Trading Standards raided two premises in Commercial Road in the Pill area of the city, looking for counterfeit tobacco products.

In total, they unearthed 976 packets of cigarettes and 147 pouches of tobacco, worth £16,420.

Newport City Council said its team was supported by Gwent Police officers and specialist search dogs from BWY Canine in recovering the "haul of illicit goods".

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At Eastern European Foods, Trading Standards seized 12,460 cigarettes and 2,800 grams of hand-rolling tobacco.

At Global Foods, a few doors away, the team seized an additional 7,060 cigarettes and 4,550 grams of tobacco.

Newport City Council said anybody with information about counterfeit tobacco could report this anonymously to Crimestoppers, either online (www.crimestoppers-uk.org) or by calling 0800 555 111.