Nearly £24 million worth of illicit cigarettes seized across the UK

• More than 33 million illicit cigarettes and 800kg of hand-rolling tobacco, with a combined revenue value of nearly £24 million, have been seized from UK retail outlets over the past year.
• These confiscations are part of Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
• Since 2023, penalties totalling £3.5 million have been levied against retailers and individuals involved in the illicit tobacco trade.
• The illegal market is largely controlled by organised criminal gangs, who distribute their products through shops and vape stores on high streets.
• Authorities warn that illicit tobacco makes cheap products accessible to young people, undermines honest businesses, and funds organised crime, costing public services around £1.7 billion annually.

IN FULL

More than 33 million illicit cigarettes seized from UK shops in major crackdown