Trading Standards to Smoke Out Counterfeit Cigarette Sellers

September 1, 2016 by Liam Jefferies

Traders selling bootlegged and counterfeit cigarettes in Southend-on-Sea could face up to ten years in jail and/or an unlimited fine, Trading Standards officers have warned.

The warning comes ahead of an awareness raising campaign being led by the Council which will see Trading Standards officers, accompanied by trained sniffer dogs, setting up their pop-up “Illegal Tobacco Unit” outside the Odeon on Southend High Street on Friday 16th September between 9.30am and Midday.

This will remind dodgy dealers of the stringent laws governing tobacco sales and warn the public of the huge risks to health that under-the-counter cigarettes can present.

A member of the Stop Smoking team will also be present to help anyone that wants to quit.

Previous events in Essex have led to several tip-offs from members of the public, helping Trading Standards close the net on perpetrators.

Specially trained tobacco-sniffing dogs are able to uncover illegal tobacco stashed away in premises in the most unlikely of places.

Cllr Mark Flewitt, Executive Councillor for Housing, Planning & Public Protection Services, said: “Some people view selling under-the-counter cigarettes as a victimless crime but Trading Standards teams have previously found counterfeit cigarettes containing asbestos and human excrement in the past, posing a massive risk to anyone smoking them.

“That’s a huge concern: you simply don’t know what you’re buying or which lethal poisons you could be inhaling.

“I have been out to see many outlets who have concern for the tobacco products that they sell and ensure that they are selling to legally aged buyers. However not all outlets are so conscious of their responsibilities and the production and sale of counterfeit cigarettes is linked to large-scale organised crime, diverting £3bn in unpaid duty away from public services such as the NHS, and often into the pockets of crime bosses.

“What’s more, counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes are more likely to be sold to children than legal cigarettes, as the sellers are only concerned about profit.”

If you notice any of the following tell-tale signs of counterfeit cigarettes, do not smoke them and instead alert the Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06:

· Unusually low cost

· Unusual flavour

· Unfamiliar branding

· Print and typographical errors