Sales of Illegal tobacco discussed by officers and Trading Standards

The sale of cheap, counterfeit cigarettes in Bradford helps fund organised crime, people trafficking and illegal immigration – despite many seeing the criminals selling these products as “Robin Hood” figures.

Officers from West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards recently told Bradford Councillors of the harm caused by illicit tobacco – and pointed out that some of these cheap cigarettes have been found to contain animal faeces and asbestos.

Bradford Council’s Licensing Panel stripped two Bradford businesses of their alcohol licenses shortly before Christmas.

Both of the businesses were found to be selling cheap, illicit tobacco.

At the meeting of the panel, members heard that rather than providing cash strapped customers with a cheap alternative to pricey cigarettes, the trade was harming legitimate businesses, funding organised crime gangs and damaging people’s health.

The panel met to review the licence of two businesses, 103 Saffron Drive, most recently known as Allerton Off Licence and Euro Market at 524 Great Horton Road.

Both were stripped of their licences after members heard they were found selling illegal goods – including illicit cigarettes.

It led to a wider discussion about the harms of counterfeit tobacco.

Jason Bethell from West Yorkshire Trading Standards told the meeting: “It’s a massive problem. The regular price of a packet of cigarettes is £17. These shops sell them for £3 or £5.

“A lot of that money goes to the treasury – it funds police and hospitals.

“One of the main reasons for this cost is to deter people from smoking because it’s really harmful.”

He said shops selling counterfeit cigarettes also took business away from legitimate shops.

This has led to lawful shops closing down while a glut of illegal shops open in their place.

Mr Bethell said: “If people go to buy a packet of cigarettes they might buy a newspaper, a packet of crisps. If they are going to these unlawful businesses that means trade is being taken from a lawful business. That can cause a massive harm to society.”

He went on to tell the panel of the various different types of cigarettes that are sold in the UK.

One category was tobacco bought in bulk in countries like Poland and brought to the UK without paying duty.

Others were counterfeit tobacco produced in countries like Latvia with the express purpose of supplying the illicit tobacco market. He told members that slave labour was often used in these operations.

The panel was told that another type of illegal tobacco was “illicit whites” – tobacco produced legitimately in one country but then smuggled into another country to avoid paying tax.

Members asked if it was clear what was in these cigarettes that made it to shops in Bradford.

Mr Bethell said: “They’re totally unregulated.

“It has been in the news about counterfeit tobacco containing rabbit droppings, carbon fibres and asbestos.

“But smoking is so bad for you already – there are already about 400 poisons in a cigarette – so having an extra one in doesn’t make that much of a difference.”

Members were told that the illicit tobacco trade was organised crime – and the only way for businesses to supply these cheap goods was to get into bed with organised crime.

Mr Bethell said: “Shops can’t go to a local supplier and buy them – you have to have contacts with organised crime gangs. As soon as you buy these, you’re part of organised crime.

“These are not just a few duty-free cigarettes; this is smuggling on a vast scale.”

News stories about counterfeit cigarettes are often followed by reader comments excusing the crime – pointing out that the criminality benefits smokers by making the product more affordable by avoiding taxes imposed by ‘greedy’ authorities.

PC Kevin Ward from West Yorkshire Police referred to this during the meeting, saying: “People think selling cheap cigarettes is akin to being like Robin Hood. They think it is a victimless crime. You all see the comments online, people say ‘how can we afford cigarettes if you close down these shops?’

“Investigations find these cigarettes are funding organised crime, people trafficking and illegal immigration.

“They also make it harder for people to stop smoking, and makes it cheaper for young people to start smoking. This all leads to a lot of preventable deaths.”