Illegal tobacco worth over £162,000 has been seized from a retail premises in Newham, the council said.
The haul was uncovered when Newham Council’s Trading Standards officers visited the premises in the north of the borough in a joint operation with Wagtail dog detection services on 11 June.
250,000 cigarettes have been taken off the streets, as well as 30kg of hand-rolling tobacco which had a value of £9,000.
The council revealed that the majority of the tobacco was non-duty paid and suspected to have been smuggled into the country. A proportion was believed to be counterfeit of popular brands.
“Illegal tobacco is dangerous and through our trading standards operations we are taking direct action to protect our residents by removing these harmful substances,” Cllr Carleene Lee-Phakoe, cabinet member for crime and community safety at the council, said.
“Far from being a victimless crime, illegal tobacco trading provides affordable access for children and young people, makes it harder for people to give up as the product is cheaper, and affects the trade of legitimate retailers. This also supports the organised criminal gangs who smuggle the tobacco in and sell it on which has deep links to modern-day slavery.
“I would like to say a big thank you to all those involved in this operation. This work has been fantastic and will protect and benefit many of our residents”.
The crackdown was part of Operation CeCe, a national campaign which focusses on joint working between Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs.
The investigation remains ongoing and the seized products will now be fully assessed as part of the inquiry to determine the exact offences that have been committed, the council added.
Anyone who is prosecuted and convicted of being involved in selling or supplying illegal tobacco can face penalties including up to 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
