Over the past four years, Gloucestershire trading standards officers have seized nearly two million illegal cigarettes as part of an ongoing crackdown on tobacco smuggling. Working closely with police, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and immigration officials, these coordinated efforts aim to tackle the extensive criminal networks involved in tobacco trafficking.
The illegal tobacco trade costs the UK Treasury an estimated £1.8 billion to £2.2 billion annually in unpaid taxes. In Gloucestershire alone, just under 86,000 packs of 20 illegal cigarettes—totaling more than 1.7 million cigarettes—were confiscated between 2021 and 2023. In addition, authorities seized 18,523 illicit vapes, 5,120 packs of 50g hand-rolling tobacco, and 143 shisha products.
Jason Poole, Head of Trading Standards, provided an update during a Gloucestershire County Council meeting on May 22, highlighting the serious nature of the problem. “We prosecuted an individual found in possession of one million illegal cigarettes,” Poole said. “He received an immediate custodial sentence of 28 months. The operation uncovered illegal stock in a small shop in Gloucester, a flat, and a lock-up in Kidderminster.”
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Poole noted that figures for the current year, 2023/24, show over 57,000 illegal cigarettes seized, a number largely influenced by the crackdown that led to this significant arrest. Although the volume of seizures remains steady, the issue persists as a substantial challenge.
“Our efforts require close collaboration with police, HMRC, and immigration teams when conducting spot checks on suspicious shops,” Poole said. “This illegal tobacco trade is a form of organised criminal activity that often intersects with other offences, including drug trafficking, money laundering, immigration violations, and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.”
The committee also learned that recently implemented regulations on single-use vapes have had a positive impact. “Seizures of single-use vape products have significantly decreased,” Poole reported, indicating progress in curbing this aspect of illicit tobacco sales.
Despite these gains, trading standards remain vigilant in their mission to disrupt the illicit tobacco market, protecting consumers and safeguarding public revenue.