Over the past four years, Gloucestershire trading standards officers have seized nearly two million illegal cigarettes as part of an ongoing effort to clamp down on tobacco smuggling. Working closely alongside police, tax authorities, and immigration officials, these coordinated operations target the organized criminal networks behind the illicit tobacco trade.
The illegal tobacco market causes the UK Treasury to lose between £1.8 billion and £2.2 billion a year in unpaid tax revenue. In Gloucestershire alone, trading standards have confiscated just under 86,000 packs of 20 cigarettes since 2021/22—equivalent to over 1.7 million cigarettes.
Additionally, officers have seized 18,523 illegal vapes, 5,120 packs of 50g hand rolling tobacco, and 143 shishas during this period. Jason Poole, head of Trading Standards, provided an update during a Gloucestershire County Council meeting on May 22, highlighting the scale of enforcement activities.
Poole recounted a significant prosecution involving one individual caught with one million illicit cigarettes. The offender received an immediate custodial sentence of 28 months. The operation uncovered illegal stock not only at a small Gloucester shop and flat but also at a lockup in Kidderminster.
Figures for the current year, 2023/24, show over 57,000 cigarettes seized so far, largely linked to this case. While the total number of illegal cigarettes confiscated remains steady, Poole emphasized the persistent nature of the problem.
“Our efforts involve close collaboration with police, HM Revenue & Customs, and immigration teams during targeted shop inspections,” he stated. “This illegal activity is highly organized. Besides tobacco, our officers have uncovered cases involving drugs, money laundering, immigration violations, and sadly, even the exploitation of young people for illicit purposes.”
The council was also informed that recent regulations on single-use vapes appear to be effective in Gloucestershire, with seizures in this category declining significantly.