Frequently Asked Questions
Is legal tobacco better for my health than illegal
tobacco?
All tobacco products are harmful, whether they're bought
legitimately from a retailer or illegally on the black market.
Tobacco products - legal or otherwise - contain over 4,000
chemicals, at least 60 of which are known to cause cancer.
Smoking causes 80,000 premature deaths in England alone. And
there's no evidence to suggest that illegal tobacco is more
dangerous than legal tobacco. However, illegal tobacco isn't
regulated so its contents and where it comes from are often
unknown.
I can't afford to smoke unless it's cheap tobacco. What
can I do?
Stop smoking. It's not easy but there's lots of free NHS support
available - one in two people who use their local NHS Stop
Smoking Service aren't smoking four weeks later. Click here to find your nearest
service.
I'm not hurting anyone by selling illegal tobacco.
I'm just helping out a FRIEND; he can't afford to smoke
otherwise.
If you sell cheap tobacco or know someone who does then you're
doing more damage than you think, as cheap illegal tobacco:
- Makes it easier for young people to start smoking and become
addicted.
- Fuels the spread of serious organised crime.
- Draws otherwise honest people into trading with criminals.
What's being done to stop the supply of illegal
tobacco?
HMRC targets gangs who smuggle tobacco by disrupting their
supply chains. This increases costs to smugglers. HMRC also targets
the countries producing illegal tobacco by working with overseas
agencies.
Since the launch of the first tobacco anti-fraud strategy in
2000, HMRC, working with UKBA and other partners has reduced the
illicit market for cigarettes from 21% to 10% and 61% to 46% for
hand-rolling tobacco.
In that time, HMRC has seized over 20 billion smuggled
cigarettes with a value of around £4.5 billion in legitimate lost
sales and seized over 2,700 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco; over
3,300 people have been successfully prosecuted; and over £48
million worth of confiscation orders have been issued to recover
the proceeds of crime.
I have information about illegal tobacco in my area -
what should I do?
You can share all information by talking to Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555 111 or clicking here
to report online.
I bring duty paid (EU) / duty free (non-EU) cigarettes
back into the country for my friends. Am I breaking the
law?
Yes, unless they're a gift. If you sell or take any kind
of payment (monetary or otherwise) for any tobacco products that
you bring into the UK then this is classed as 'commercial use' -
and is breaking the law.
A shop in my area is selling fake cigarettes. Who should
I talk to?
You can report sales of counterfeit tobacco to the independent
charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or click here
to report online.
An off-licence in my street sells cheap tobacco to
children. Who should I tell?
You can report it to the independent charity Crimestoppers
anonymously on 0800 555 111 or click here
to report online.
