'Pocket money prices': Cheap illegal tobacco a growing problem

A current affairs programmes aired on Welsh TV channel S4C on Tuesday examined the trade in illegal tobacco, which is estimated to account for 15 per cent of all tobacco sold in Wales.

Cameras followed trading standards officials who carried out raids to take illegal tobacco off the streets.

In Powys a raid on a domestic dwelling saw £1,000 worth of tobacco seized, with people going to great length to hide the stock.

Dyfed-Powys Police Constable Elin Green was there to support Trading Standards on a raid said: “They don’t fear the police, so they carry on. Trading Standards get involved and they do a great job processing it and taking it to court.

“If it happens here in Powys in a quiet place, it could happen anywhere so we hope we can get more information through doing things like this and we can get more warrants and get more things off the street.”

A number of raids and investigations have taken place in Powys in recent years, and head of trading standards for Powys County Council, Clive Jones, insisted illegal tobacco has become a growing problem in the last five years and is linked to organised crime.

He said: "Over the last five years, we’ve found increasing criminality involved in the sale of illegal tobacco, with organised crime gang involvement in the sale.

Organised criminality

"Those gangs aren’t just based in Powys, they’ve got links nationwide. It’s organised criminality stretching over other parts of the UK. Monies aren’t staying locally, it’s being spread around.

"It’s a surprise in an area where, until around five years ago, we didn’t really see this to be a problem.”

Anti-smoking charity ASH Cymru were recently commissioned by the Welsh Government to look at the problem, and has set a target of lowering the number of smokers in Wales from 19 per cent to 16 per cent by 2020.

ASH Cymru chief executive, Suzanne Cass, the sale of illegal tobacco undermines measures put in place to lower the number of smokers in Wales.

She said: "It’s sold at pocket money prices and we know that children are accessing the illegal tobacco.

"We’re hoping that we’re going to be able to inform a programme of development around tackling illegal tobacco in Wales. In places like the north-east and south-west of England, these campaigns have already taken place and been successful.”