- 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.
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