Sniffer dogs have helped uncover thousands of pounds worth of illicit tobacco and cigarettes in Moray.
Trading standards officers searched the two premises in Elgin as part of a joint operation with police, and discovered the £6,000 haul.
The raid was part of a region-wide crackdown on illegal sales of smoking products and underage buying.
At one private property, officers found a substantial amount of counterfeit tobacco.
And following a tip-off about a business in the town, officers and a sniffer dog visted on Monday and found tobacco and cigarettes which are yet to be identified.
Environmental health and trading standards manager Karen Sievewright described the “substantial hauls” as “unusual” because they happened in such a short space of time.
She said: “We take the control of tobacco in Moray very seriously at trading standards. We are responsible for the enforcement of all regulation in the region, including the sales to underage people and we like to think we are protecting
children from the harm of tobacco and this is something we take very seriously.
“We take part in busts like this whenever we get the intelligence, then act on it. We know there is tobacco out there, we rely on the public to inform us of anything that is going on.”
Sniffer dog Daisy was the hero of the hour on Monday when she unearthed the massive haul of cigarettes and tobacco hidden at the business, which was not registered to sell such products.
Dog handler Bobby Cranie hailed the young canine for her role in sniffing out the criminals.
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He said: “Spaniels are particularly good because of their noses, they are working dogs, very active and curious, so they are ideal for this game, as it is always a game for the dogs.
“They are given the tennis ball for picking up the presence of tobacco and indicate it to me by sitting.”
Sergeant Scott Brander said: “Officers work closely with our partners in trading standards to carry out operations to target the sale of counterfeit cigarettes, which can result in potential serious health implications for the public.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners to protect the public from the implications of buying unregulated tobacco products.”
Fochabers councillor Marc Macrae, former chairman of the planning and regulatory committee said: “Many people don’t appreciate the work trading standards do as it is often done in the background where they put a lot of time and effort into taking counterfeit goods off the market and do a lot of valuable work.
“Tobacco is an expensive commodity for taxation and counterfeit products could offer health risks so it good to see it taken off the streets.”