More than 11,000 illegal cigarettes and £4,000 in cash have been seized following a multi-agency operation in Fleet.

Officers from Fleet Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out planned and coordinated visits to several retail premises in Fleet Road on Wednesday, September 2.

They were joined by HMRC, Hampshire County Council Trading Standards, the local Licensing Team and Immigration Enforcement.

During a visit to one store, officers found 389 packets of non-duty paid cigarettes which had been hidden inside a wooden drawer underneath the till.

The cigarettes were located with the help of a specialist tobacco detection dog, which later found another 170 packets inside the boot of a car linked to the shop.

In total, 11,180 cigarettes with an estimated street value of £8,385 were seized.

A further 197 packets of 50g hand-rolling tobacco, worth approximately £6,895, were also found in the shop and car.

Police said the total estimated value of the illegal tobacco seized during the operation was £15,280.

Meanwhile, £4,000 in cash, suspected of being linked to criminal activity, was seized from another store.

Trading Standards officers also removed a number of toys over safety concerns, along with food items which were incorrectly labelled.

The operation continued on Thursday, September 3, when Fleet officers were again joined by Immigration Enforcement to carry out enquiries at a business premises in Crookham Road.

A 35-year-old man from Fleet was arrested and is due to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Thursday, October 1, charged with driving while disqualified.

A 30-year-old man from Fleet was also given a community resolution after an officer was assaulted during the visit. The officer was not injured.

A man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s were dealt with by Immigration Enforcement during the two-day operation.

PC Terry Read, Fleet's local officer, coordinated the operation.

He said: “We have listened to the community’s concerns and have worked hard as a team to plan this multi-agency operation in Fleet.

“I’m delighted to say this operation was a huge success, and I hope it demonstrates our continued commitment to protecting our communities from illegal and harmful activity.

“I would like to thank our colleagues from Trading Standards, HMRC, the Licensing Team and Immigration Enforcement who joined us on the operation. With their help, we were able to seize thousands of illicit cigarettes and tobacco, as well as £4,000 in cash.

“A huge thanks also goes to members of the community in Fleet, many of whom thanked us for our targeted approach and efforts in the town centre.

“We will continue to work together with partner agencies to help identify those who profit from these offences and our enquiries remain ongoing.”