Officers from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Trading Standards Service raided three businesses, on 29 July 2024, for selling illicit tobacco and vapes.
Trading Standards Officers raided shops in Beverley, Hornsea, and Driffield. They found over 10,000 illicit cigarettes, six kilograms of hand rolled tobacco (HRT) and a substantial number of illegal vapes. Officers responded to complaints to Trading Standards about the sale of illicit tobacco at these premises.
The tobacco products were both counterfeit and unsafe and had a street value of thousands of pounds. They were contrary to the Tobacco-Related Products Regulations 2016, the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015, and the Trademarks Act 1994.
The raid was part of Operation CeCe, a nationwide initiative aimed at disrupting the sale and distribution of illegal tobacco.
Councillor Leo Hammond, Cabinet Member for Planning, Communities and Public Protection said;
“East Riding Council is dedicated to supporting communities and ensuring that the East Riding is a good place to live. Illegal tobacco is often part of wider criminality and buying it means supporting organised crime. I’m very grateful for the hard work of the officers in this case, and I urge any residents concerned about illicit tobacco to report it immediately”.
Those found guilty of selling illicit tobacco can face penalties of up to £10,000, a seizure of any tobacco products, a removal of the right to sell tobacco, or a prison sentence. Officers are investigating the offences in this case and will serve enforcement actions in due course.
Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, of National Trading Standards, said:
“The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. Having removed 19 million illegal cigarettes and 5,103kg of hand-rolling tobacco in 2023-24, Operation CeCe (a National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC) has taken £27.2 million pounds worth of illicit tobacco off the market since the operation launched in 2021 and continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”
