Illicit tobacco, vapes and cigarettes found across Nottingham in undercover stings

No comments

GettyImages-2081971709

A test purchasing operation conducted by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Nottingham has uncovered the shocking scale of the illicit tobacco and vapes market in the city.

Undercover operatives carried out multiple test purchases across Nottingham in November 2024, visiting 17 stores and finding 25 illicit tobacco and vapes.

Counterfeit and contraband tobacco products were easily obtained from stores, including 50g Roll Your Own (RYO) packets from as little as £5, and regular cigarettes from £4. Illegal vapes with puff counts of up to 22,000 were also discovered.

Ian Howell, public affairs manager at JTI UK, said: “This operation offers up more evidence of the burgeoning illicit tobacco market in the UK. Last year the illicit sector grew to unprecedented levels - 30% of cigarette and 54% of RYO tobacco consumption now comes from illegal and other non-duty paid sources. We’re unfortunately in a position where illicit tobacco is common in every town and city across the country.

“This illegal market is causing major disruption to retailers, reducing footfall in their stores and impacting on their incomes. In addition, there are strong links between the illicit tobacco trade and organised crime.

“The fast expansion of this market has been facilitated by years of increasing tobacco duties as well as a lack of adequate budget and authority for enforcement organisations. The government needs to acknowledge the scale of the problem, and crack down on illicit tobacco sales as a priority in 2025, rather than implementing a generational smoking ban which will simply allow the black market to flourish.”

All evidence and information gathered has been made available to Trading Standards in anticipation that it will support their efforts to enforce and prosecute anyone found to be selling illegal products.