1 minute read
Illegal Tobacco
by 55 North
RETAIL CRIME
Trading Standards seize £200k of illegal cigarettes in Wales
The haul comes as part of a nationwide initiative to disrupt the trade in illicit tobacco.
A million illegal cigarettes, with a street value of more than £200,000, have been seized in Wales as part of a major crackdown on the country’s illegal tobacco trade.
The milestone was hit by Welsh Trading Standards teams taking part in Operation CeCe, an ongoing National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to tackle illegal tobacco.
They say the haul seized during raids carried out across Wales, which includes 1,039,046 cigarettes and 3,377 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, has a total street value of £286,782.30 – money that would otherwise have been in the pockets of criminal gangs.
Evidence has been found of illegal tobacco supplies in 17 out of 22 local authority areas in Wales and seizures have taken place in 12 areas so far.
Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. The National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HRMC is playing a significant role in disrupting this illicit trade and is helping to take illegal tobacco products off the streets.”
Helen Picton, Chair of Trading Standards Wales, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco creates a cheap source for tobacco for children and young people. It also undermines all of the good work being done to stop people smoking and the illegal tobacco trade more often than not has strong links to criminal activity.”
Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, added: “We welcome any action that is taken to remove illegal tobacco from our communities and hope that this will continue to form part of any strategy to address Wales’ health inequalities.”
Since the launch of the crackdown in January 2021 Trading Standards and HMRC have been gathering intelligence on criminal tobacco gangs and are planning more raids across Wales in the next few months.
