Illicit Tobacco Partnership

Efforts to tackle tobacco smuggling have been hampered by a “farcical” lack of action by the government and its agencies, a committee of MPs has said. The MPs also suggested that concerns over boosting the black market should not trump public health considerations in the debate over plain packaging.

A shop owner who was caught selling counterfeit vodka and tobacco from two shops in Leeds has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Nine people have been arrested and two illegal tobacco processing plants discovered after an investigation into suspected tobacco duty evasion of £11 million and associated money laundering offences.

Rochdale Council officers and Trading Standards officials raided seven shops in a surprise week of action.

On Tuesday 3rd June two trading standing officers seized 52 pouches of hand rolling tobacco (2.6kg) and 140 packs of cigarettes from a newsagent in Tredworth, Gloucester.

Two people have been arrested after counterfeit cigarettes and cash were seized during a raid on a house.

Smuggled cigarettes worth up to £26,000 have been found at a Salford shop during a major crackdown on illegal tobacco sales.

A haul of dodgy tobacco and illegal snuff was seized by officers during raids on Tyneside.

A shopkeeper who sold illegal tobacco from his Belper store has been given a 12-month community order and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work by Derby Magistrates.

A sniffer dog ferreted out a stash of contraband cigarettes stored in an underground ‘James Bond’ style lair.