Dixie the sniffer dog hounds illegal tobacco trade out of town

Shops selling illegal tobacco in the Mearns are being hounded out of town by a new council recruit.

Dixie the sniffer dog was used by Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards Office, supported by the police, in a two-day operation targeting businesses where police intelligence has indicated illegal tobacco products are being sold.

Dixie has been trained by Stirling Council to target the scent of tobacco and DVDs.

In the recent operation, Dixie was able to detect tobacco hidden behind a false wall at one business Aberdeenshire Council Trading Standards manager Wilma Urquhart said: “Specially-trained tobacco detection dogs are another valuable tool in helping this service tackle the illegal tobacco trade.

“The public should avoid buying tobacco from unregulated sources where there are no controls on the production and distribution of the products; there is also strong evidence to link this illicit trade to other illegal activity.”