Illegal tobacco

To report the sale of illegal tobacco in Cheshire East or any other area anonymously visit the Keep it Out website.

Illicit tobacco has proven links to organised crime and the sale of such products can contribute to human trafficking, modern slavery, prostitution and terrorism.

Illicit tobacco undermines efforts to reduce the public smoking and encourages children to take up smoking.

Illicit tobacco is known by other names - for example:

• illicit/cheap whites these are cigarettes which have no legal market in the UK. These are cigarettes legally mass manufactured in factories usually in Eastern Europe and imported illegally to the UK.  Duty has not been paid and the appropriate health warnings and images might not be present which is required under UK law.
• Counterfeit cigarettes which are illegally manufactured and sold by a party other than the original trademark or copyright holder.
• Non-duty paid cigarettes which are smuggled into the UK without then the necessary duty being paid. As well as cigarettes made for the UK this may include cigarettes intended for sale in another country that have been smuggled into the UK or duty free cigarettes being illegally sold, rather than kept for personal use.

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Page last reviewed: 16 August 2021