Warning over illegal cigarette sales

Illegal cigarettes are being sold through undercover fag houses”, Sunday markets and stores, Trading Standards warned today.

Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards is urging people to report all illegal cigarette sales and to steer clear of such products, as they don’t know what they are smoking.

Today, it warned traders that counterfeit cigarettes can be detected by Trading Standards’ scanners. Anyone caught selling them would face major fines and imprisonment.

As part of the county council’s summer blitz on illegal cigarette sales, Trading Standards wants people to report sales of counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes.
Both pose potential health risks, as consumers cannot be sure that they meet the latest British labelling and quality requirements.

People who sell counterfeit cigarettes face a maximum fine of £10,000 and possible imprisonment for a range of labelling and trade mark offences. They may also be fined up to £5,000 and possibly imprisoned for avoiding tobacco duty.

Over the last two years, the county council has received 20 complaints concerning either illicit or counterfeit tobacco and seized 2,130 cigarettes and 1,650grams of hand rolling tobacco from retail premises.

David Bull, the county council’s Head of Trading Standards, said: We want the public to report anyone they think is selling illegal cigarettes – whether it’s the secretive fag houses” that spring up in people’s neighbourhoods, or Sunday markets and shops.