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Tens of thousands of pounds worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products have been seized from a “suspicious” van.

The large haul of illicit goods was confiscated after a white Renault Kangoo was stopped in Malthouse Road, Buckland. A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesman said the stop and search was conducted at 4.50pm on June 24.

The van full of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products were seized by police from a white van in Malthouse Road, Buckland. | Google Street View/Portsmouth Police

He added that the parked vehicle was deemed “suspicious” by police. Portsmouth Police reported on Facebook that officers received reports about strange behaviour ij the area.

The force said: “We also conducted some enforcement in Malthouse Road recently following some information about suspicious activity. This led us to search a vehicle which contained a large amount of counterfeit and foreign stock cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco.

“This had an estimated retail value of £72,825. The goods are believed to be linked to a nearby shop, and working with Trading Standards, further enforcement action will be taken.” The police spokesman said no arrests have been made at this stage, with a Trading Standards investigation currently ongoing.

Huge haul of illegal cigarettes seized in Portsmouth from "suspicious" white van - investigation launched