Scottish team works to tackle the rising illicit trade
THE Scottish Illicit Tobacco Team has announced it has managed to complete over 100 seizures of illegal goods with the space of five months, totalling over half a million illegal cigarettes found.
Hosted by Scotland’s Trading Standards Service, the Illicit Tobacco Team has carried out 172 enforcement visits to businesses across Scotland and has managed to find this massive haul over the course of five months.
Since it was established in June 2026, the team has managed to seize:
• 30,628 packs of illicit cigarettes, representing over 612,000 cigarettes.
• 3,460 packs of hand rolling tobacco, equaling a weight of 173kg.
• “Significant quantities” of illicit vaping products.
• Counterfeit clothing and other illicit goods.
The enforcement activity has also resulted in four arrests, four warrants executed, a Proceeds of Crime Act cash seizure of £12,000 and positive test purchase exercises across Scotland.
The Scottish Illicit Tobacco Team is part of Operation CeCe, a national initiative supported by the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards for Scotland (SCOTSS) in partnership with HMRC, Police Scotland and other regulatory partners. The funding agreement for this team is currently in place until 31 March 2029.
Since the commencement of the wider Operation CeCe, Scottish local authorities have removed approximately 5.1million illicit cigarette sticks and 1.3 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco from the illicit marketplace.
If any members of the public have concerns about illicit products in their area, they have been advised to reach out to local Trading Standards teams via the SCOTSS’ anonymous reporting form.
North Lanarkshire Councillor Helen Loughran, convener of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, said: “This is an excellent example of agencies working in partnership to tackle criminal activity in our communities.
“Officers gather intelligence on those involved in the illegal tobacco trade and use this to identify and seize cigarettes and tobacco before they can be sold to the public.
“Illegal tobacco sales undercut legitimate business and encourage people, particularly children and young people, to get hooked on smoking, causing long-term serious health problems.”
