Nearly £24 million worth of illicit tobacco products have been seized from retail outlets across the UK over the past year, as Trading Standards stepped up its crackdown on the illegal tobacco trade.
The haul, confiscated under Operation CeCe, included more than 33 million illicit cigarettes and over 800kg of hand-rolling tobacco, highlighting the continued scale of the black market and its impact on legitimate retailers.
Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), has intensified efforts to disrupt the supply and sale of illegal tobacco products. Since enhanced enforcement powers were introduced in 2023, penalties totalling £3.5 million have been imposed on retailers and individuals involved in the illicit tobacco trade.
Officials warned that the illicit market is largely controlled by organised criminal gangs, which often use convenience stores and vape shops on high streets to distribute illegal products.
They also highlighted the impact on legitimate businesses, saying the availability of cheap, unregulated tobacco not only undermines compliant retailers but also increases the risk of young people becoming addicted.
Lord Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said illicit tobacco “is not a victimless crime”.
“It makes cheap tobacco more accessible, particularly to young people, undermines honest local businesses and helps fund organised criminal networks that profit from exploiting communities,” he said.
“These latest results show that Trading Standards is building an increasingly detailed intelligence picture of the illicit tobacco trade and using it to target enforcement where it will have the greatest impact.
“Those who choose to sell illicit tobacco should be under no illusion – the chances of being identified are growing, and we will continue working with partners to disrupt this criminal trade, protect consumers and bring offenders to justice.”
HMRC estimates that the illicit tobacco trade deprives the public purse of around £1.7 billion a year.
Zoe Gascoyne, director at HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service, said the illegal trade damages legitimate retailers while funding wider criminal activity.
“Illicit tobacco undermines legitimate retailers, funds wider criminality, and harms public health while depriving our vital public services of around £1.7 billion a year,” she said.
“We will continue to work with partners like Trading Standards to tackle this organised criminal trade that harms our communities.
“These criminal networks don't care who they sell to, often targeting underage buyers.
“We urge anyone with information about the smuggling, distribution or sale of illicit tobacco to report it online.”