Raids have been carried out at seven Moray premises as part of a crackdown on the sale of illegal cigarettes.
Retail and licensed premises in both Lossiemouth and Elgin were searched by enforcement officers in a bid to identify points of sale for illicit tobacco.
The raids form part of a nationwide crackdown on the illegal activity, which has spiked in recent months.
Tips shared with the council’s trading standards team suggested an increase in activity within certain businesses.
That prompted raids at a number of potential hot spots.
Moray enforcement officers teamed up with tobacco search dog ‘Rosie’ and her handler for the operation.
And their efforts proved fruitful, with a quantity of illicit tobacco seized from shops and licenced premises.
A report will now be submitted to HMRC.
Crackdown on sale of illegal cigarettes in Moray
Councillor Marc Macrae, chairman of Moray Council’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Services Committee, which covers Trading Standards, said efforts to track down those responsible will continue.
He said: “The sale and supply of illicit tobacco will remain a focus of attention for our Trading Standards team.
“The trade in illegal cigarettes and tobacco has a harmful effect on legitimate sellers.
“And it can have a costly financial and reputational impact on those found to be selling it illegally.
“Our team will continue to respond to reports received from the public to target businesses that choose to ignore the law and engage in this harmful activity”.
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