Massive £25,000 haul of illegal cigarettes is seized from shops in one Milton Keynes town

A huge haul of illegal cigarette worth more than £25,000 has been seized from businesses in the town of Bletchley.

A joint operation into “multiple businesses” was launched by Milton Keynes City Council Trading Standards, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) and Thames Valley Police.

A tobacco detection dog used as part of the investigation revealed a hidden compartment within a purpose-built brick wall designed to hide some the goods.

More than 1,300 packs of illegal cigarettes (equating to over 26,000 individual cigarettes) were discovered, along with a quantity of illegal hand rolling tobacco, illegal shisha and vapes.

One business, Bletchley Express, has now been issued with a Closure Order by Milton Keynes Magistrates due to its persistent sale of illegal tobacco and vapes following previous visits and seizures by Milton Keynes Trading Standards.

The Closure Order prevents access to the premises for three months – effectively stopping the business from trading.

It is believed the products were classed as illegal because they had been bought duty free, not for resale. Buying them cheaply often means they can be sold to the public at a reduced price.

But selling illegal tobacco is a serious crime often related to trafficking, drug dealing and money laundering, says the council.

The investigation is part of Operation CeCe, which is part of a wider government strategy to disrupt the illegal tobacco industry, from frontline retailers to global organised crime groups.

Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards, Cllr Paul Trendall, said: “This is a significant bust which has thousands of illegal tobacco products off our streets. Illegal tobacco is often linked to organised crime and goes far beyond someone trying to make a quick buck by selling cheap cigarettes. We’ll continue working with partners to get these products off our streets for good and prosecute the perpetrators where necessary.”

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said:“The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. Having removed 27 million illegal cigarettes, 7,500kg of hand rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, the National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”

Sergeant Ricci Dolan from SEROCU said officials were determined to “stop the harm” that the sale of illegal tobacco and vapes causes in our communities.

"Supporting these operations and taking action to disrupt activity is just one way in which we are committed to tackling serious and organised crime,” he said.

To report the sale of illegal tobacco, illegal vapes and or the sale of tobacco and vapes to under 18’s in Milton Keynes, visit here or call 0800 223 1133.

Alternatively it can be reported anonymously here.

The term illicit cigarettes covers any tobacco product that is sold in the UK without the payment of excise duty.

The Finance Act 2022 legislated for tougher sanctions to be introduced to tackle the sale of such products. These include a new penalty of up to £10,000 for serious contraventions.

Further information is here.