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A specially trained tobacco detection dog was used to detect the illegal products and the day long operation yielded around 14,500 counterfeit and/or non UK duty paid cigarettes

Nearly half of those cigarettes were counterfeit

French Customs announced the seizure in a statement on Friday morning

Since May 2017, plain packaging regulations require all cigarettes to be sold in standardised olive green packaging with no branding other than the brand name in a standard plain typeface, along with large pictorial health warnings

Peddling counterfeit tobacco is a serious crime that not only robs the public purse of much needed revenue, but also poses a threat to health and is a real fire risk