AN elite tobacco sniffer dog is lying low in Pembrokeshire as his owner claims he is so successful that smugglers have put a price on his head.

During his five-year career, Scamp the springer spaniel has sniffed out £6 million worth of illegal tobacco, thanks to his powerful sense of smell and natural hunting instincts.

Owner Stuart Phillips said Scamp’s success rate at sniffing out illegal tobacco hauls means he poses a big threat to the criminals who smuggle in and sell the goods.

“We had to stop working in one part of the country last year, because there was a £25,000 bounty put on his head,” said Stuart.

“It was believed to be linked to an organised crime group and the relevant authorities were informed.

“I’ve also had death threats, my windscreen has been smashed and my tyres slashed,” he added.

“It’s understandable really, when you’re upsetting some really nasty people.”

 

Scamp the spaniel is highly trained to sniff out illegal substances.

Stuart trains specialist detection dogs to sniff out tobacco, firearms, drugs, explosives, meat and even human remains and works with more than 100 local authorities.

He says the scale of the illegal tobacco industry is vast with products smuggled in from as far afield as China or Russia and sold across Wales.

“It is a massive problem in terms of the volume available and the fact that it’s so readily available in shops.

“It’s available on social media, through Facebook, and in Wales we have what are generally called fag houses, people selling from their houses.”

The cigarettes are sold at what Stuart describes as pocket money prices making them readily available to children and to smokers who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

Even more disturbing however is their link to serious organised crime, with those buying illegal cigarettes often unwittingly funding the activities of organised crime groups.

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In a special report by BBC Wales earlier this month, Trading Standards officers called for a government taskforce to tackle the problem, warning that criminals selling illicit tobacco target Wales due to a lack of investment in enforcement.

An experienced dog like Scamp can find everything from a single cigarette to a whole pallet load.

He has also been trained to sniff out bank notes and has uncovered wads of cash worth up to £60,000.

Though Scamp is the best weapon authorities have in the war against illegal tobacco, they are a long way from winning: “My work load is huge. There’s not enough days in the week because it’s a massive problem,” he said.

A survey carried out by ASH Wales in 2014 revealed that up to 15per cent of all tobacco sold in Wales – around 1million cigarettes a day – is illegal, the highest level in the UK.

Meanwhile 45per cent of all smokers in Wales have been offered illegal tobacco and 70per cent of buyers agreed it allows them to smoke when they cannot afford it.