Illegal tobacco

Illegal tobacco has all the harmful properties of legal tobacco, but is also completely unregulated. It’s often sold much cheaper than legal tobacco.

The sale of cheap or illegal tobacco makes it easier for children and young people to start smoking and get addicted at a young age.

Some illegal cigarettes are not fire safe. Unlike legal cigarettes, they do not extinguish by themselves if left unattended. This makes them much more likely to cause a fire.

Report illegal tobacco

If you see anyone selling illegal tobacco or single cigarettes, report it to London Trading Standards.

Report illegal tobacco to London Trading Standards

You can also report to us by calling 020 8356 4929, or emailing trading.standards@hackney.gov.uk.

You can also call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

Types of illegal tobacco

There are three types of illegal tobacco:

• smuggled, non-duty paid or bootlegged tobacco – which often includes packets with foreign language health warnings and no health warning pictures – they often cost between £5 to £7 for a pack of 20
• counterfeit or fake tobacco – which looks like well-known tobacco brands but is manufactured illegally – these can be produced in the UK but more often they’re smuggled into the country and can cost from £5 per packet
• cheap whites – which are foreign brands lawfully produced in one country but intended for smuggling into another – they are illegally sold in the UK and the most well known brand is Jin Lin, which can be as little as £3.50 per packet

It’s also illegal to sell single cigarettes, the cost of which is much lower than buying a full pack. This makes it harder for people to give up smoking and easier for children to start.

Signs of illegal tobacco

Signs of illegal tobacco include:

• packets with no picture health warnings
• packets with foreign language health warnings
• stock kept out of sight in shops and away from the regular tobacco display cabinet
• its low cost compared to normal cigarettes – for example, a pack of 20 illegal cigarettes can cost as little as £3.50 to £5
• unusual or foreign brand names
• availability in unusual locations, such as pubs, market stalls, ice cream or fast food vans, outside shops, private homes, and high footfall areas
• selling single cigarettes, often to children

Penalties for selling illegal tobacco

When a premises gets caught selling illegal tobacco or singles, the penalties include:

• a review of the premises licence, which could lead to it being revoked
• a formal caution and a requirement to do a training course
• prosecution, which could result in an unlimited fine or imprisonment

Our actions to stop the sale of illegal tobacco

We work with London Trading Standards to:

• target the sale of illegal tobacco
• raid shops suspected of selling it
• carry out test purchasing and inspections and
• work with the police and HMRC to seize it

Every year we take part in the Illegal Tobacco Campaign supported by:

• London Councils
• London Trading Standards
• Greater London Authority
• Public Health England
• Action on Smoking and Health
• London Association of Directors of Public Health

We run roadshows highlighting the harms of illegal tobacco to residents.

We use surveys with the public to assess knowledge, attitude and practice towards illegal tobacco. The surveys also help us to better understand the context in London.

Get help to stop smoking

If you work, live or study in the City of London or in Hackney (or have a City or Hackney GP) you can get help to stop smoking from our Stop Smoking Service. It offers one to one behavioural support and medication in a range of locations across the borough. These include:

• GP practices
• local pharmacies
• Homerton Hospital
• a number of community locations

You can also get information and advice over the phone, call 0800 046 9946.

If you’d like more information, email smokefree.cityandhackney@nhs.net or visit Smorkefree City & Hackney.