All Illicit Tobacco articles
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NewsAwareness of illegal tobacco on the rise
New JTI UK research marking the first anniversary of its ‘It Costs More Than You Think’ campaign reveals 85% of the public have heard of illegal tobacco, but 82% say enforcement is inadequate to tackle the growing black market
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NewsProposed plain packaging for vapes could cost retailers over £330m
Campaign group We Vape has joined the call for retailers to comment on any upcoming changes to vape packaging rules
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NewsOver 1.3m prohibited vapes have been seized since 2025’s disposables ban
Research reveals over 1.3m illegal vaping products have been seized in the UK since last year’s disposables ban
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NewsNicotine pouch sales surge as UK consumers shift from vapes and cigarettes
Seven in 10 nicotine pouch users say they started using the product to quit smoking or vaping
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NewsIllegal tobacco found on sale in a quarter of Liverpool stores
Operation finds 25% of independent shops selling tobacco visited in Liverpool are selling illegal tobacco
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NewsLandlords warned over illegal tobacco tenant liability
Imperial Brands UK has put commercial landlords on notice that they could face criminal prosecution if they fail to act against tenants selling counterfeit or illegal tobacco products
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NewsHMRC tobacco tax gap figures ‘deeply flawed’, says JTI
New HMRC data suggesting the tobacco tax gap is shrinking has been strongly disputed by JTI, which says illegal tobacco is being sold openly across the UK at prices legitimate retailers cannot compete with
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News‘Retailers are leaving the industry in droves’: how illicit tobacco is damaging convenience stores
Convenience Store speaks to illicit tobacco expert Rohan Pike about the threat it poses to the UK high street
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NewsUK councils' store inspections have fallen by 53% despite £10m Trading Standards boost
A recent freedom of information request has revealed many councils made fewer store inspections in 2025
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NewsHull revealed as UK’s illicit nicotine pouch seizure hotspot
New freedom of information data ranks the UK’s councils on their illicit tobacco seizures
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Products In DepthTobacco and Vapes: Taking on the illicit market
A year after the disposable vape ban, illicit trade in vapes and tobacco continues to surge, with nearly half of UK cigarettes now illicit and corner shops cited as a major source
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NewsACS launches campaign to crack down on rogue traders
The Association of Convenience Stores has launched its ‘Stop Rogue Traders’ campaign, calling for stronger sanctions and additional funding to combat illicit trade
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NewsLancashire retailer jailed for illegal tobacco and vape operation
Keyvan Manouchehri was sentenced to 20 months in prison after Trading Standards officers uncovered an illegal tobacco and vape operation at Euro Mini Market in Lancashire, with seized goods worth an estimated £74,000
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NewsAlmost half of UK cigarettes now illicit, study finds
New research has revealed that almost half of cigarettes consumed in the UK in 2025 were illicit, with organised criminal gangs increasingly using ‘front’ shops disguised as legitimate retailers to sell counterfeit and contraband products
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NewsIllegal tobacco found in 11 of 14 West Yorkshire stores
A test purchasing operation commissioned by JTI UK has revealed that illegal tobacco products were found in 11 out of the 14 independent stores selling tobacco visited in the West Yorkshire towns of Keighley and Ilkley
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NewsKent operation seizes illegal tobacco and leads to arrest
A multi-agency enforcement operation targeting shops, vape stores and other businesses in Medway has resulted in one arrest, the seizure of nearly 2kg of tobacco and 7,849 cigarettes, and the removal of four illegal items from sale
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NewsHigh street crime unit created to tackle ‘dodgy shops’
A new multi-agency task force backed by £30m in government funding will target serious organised crime gangs operating through illicit shops on UK high streets over the next three years
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NewsAlmost £18k worth of illicit tobacco and vapes seized in multi-agency operation in Hampshire
A joint partnership in Hampshire last week resulted in a huge haul of illicit tobacco and vape goods
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NewsPhilip Morris appoints new corporate affairs chief
Philip Morris Limited has announced Claire Jolly as its new senior director of corporate affairs
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News‘The illicit trade is getting worse’ - BAT’s commercial director on the UK’s tobacco market
BAT’s commercial director Tolga Kilic issues a stark warning on the illicit tobacco trade