Devon tackles illegal tobacco
To mark World No Tobacco Day (Sun 31 May) Public Health and Trading Standards across Devon and Somerset are highlighting their work against the sale of illegal tobacco products in our communities, which is the theme of the day this year.
Illegal tobacco continues to be a major problem in the county, with the majority being offered for sale from private homes and through Facebook. In total, Trading Standards has seized 64,501 genuine non-duty paid cigarettes over the last year.
Recent operations include a seizure by Trading Standards Devon and Somerset of 6kg of counterfeit hand rolling loose tobacco and 13.75 kg of genuine non-duty paid hand rolling tobacco.
In Somerset a multi-agency operation, involving the use of specially-trained sniffer dogs, has resulted in nearly £4,000 worth of illegal cigarettes and tobacco being seized from a Bridgwater off-licence and a sophisticated hidden storage area identified in a Taunton shop.
Designed to crack down on the illegal trade in black market tobacco, Officers from Devon & Somerset Trading Standards, and Avon & Somerset Police, were joined by Scamp, Phoebe and Yoyo, tobacco detection dogs funded by Smokefree South West, that can sniff out illegal tobacco wherever it is concealed.
And in a separate investigation, an Exeter man was recently sentenced for supplying illicit tobacco and DVDs following a prosecution in February by the Devon and Somerset Trading Standards service. That operation began after the service had received information from concerned members of the public about potential sales of tobacco to schoolchildren in their community.
Illegal tobacco is known to make it easier for children to start smoking, because it is sold at pocket money prices, which also makes it easier for those looking to quit to carry on smoking. Illegal tobacco is also known to make communities more attractive to criminals that will use their profits from sales of illegal tobacco to fund other types of crime.
Councillor Andrea Davis, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for health and wellbeing, said: “Smoking is a serious public health issue and cheap illegal tobacco just makes it even harder to keep our children away from harm. That is why our public health and trading standards teams are working together to help tackle the problem.
“We will be using World No Tobacco Day to raise awareness to our staff and to our public of the harm illegal tobacco does to our health and to our economy.”
Selling illegal tobacco is a criminal offence. Anyone can report the selling of illegal tobacco by contacting on the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506 who will report the matter to Trading Standards , reporting it anonymously online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk or calling the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. They cannot trace your call and will never ask for your name.
Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Trading Standards, said: “Illegal tobacco can sometimes be hard to spot, but if you come across anyone selling tobacco products, there could be some strong indications the product is illegal.
“If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is – illegal tobacco is often half the price of legal tobacco. There could also be tell tale signs such as a missing “UK Duty Paid” mark, no health warning, foreign language or spelling mistakes on the pack; or an unusual taste and smell.
“Illegal tobacco covers a whole range of ways the product could have entered the country, including smuggling, counterfeiting and goods being brought into the country on the premise of being for ‘personal use’, then resold.
“We are determined that this illegal trade will not only be detected in Devon, it will be dealt with in the most stringent way possible.”
