£26,000 worth of illegal tobacco taken off shelves in Edinburgh

Almost £26,000 worth of illegal tobacco has recently been taken off shelves in Edinburgh by the city council’s Trading Standards team and Scotland police, reports stated on Monday (27).

Under Operation CeCe – a UK-wide operation targeting illicit tobacco, which is either duty-evaded, counterfeit or both- Trading Standards team in the past few raids has seized 22,600 cigarettes and 10kg of hand-rolling tobacco, which represented evaded duty of over £10,600 defrauded from public funds.

The seizure happened from various premises in the Leith Walk area of the city. Acting upon intelligence received, officers from Trading Standards, in partnership with police, raided the premises along with tobacco detection dog Boo.

Saying that tackling illicit and counterfeit tobacco is a key part of Edinburgh’s contribution to the government’s aim of achieving a smoke-free generation by 2034, transport and environment convener Councilor Scott Arthur said, “These recoveries are a fantastic result for our Trading Standards team who work hard to identify and tackle unsafe and illegal products. Stopping such products reaching consumers in Edinburgh and beyond is a testament to their proactive strategy and dedication.

“I am, of course, concerned that this market exists within Edinburgh. These products have not had the required duty paid on them, but also do not comply with the plain packaging, warning requirements and, where they are counterfeit, breach trade marks legislation.

“No tobacco product is safe, but the recovered goods may not comply with the requirements designed to ensure that cigarettes are self-extinguishing to prevent domestic fires,” reports quoted him as saying.