Illegal Cigarette Seizures over the last 3 Years
Case reference FOI2026/01667
Received 14 July 2026
Published 13 August 2026
Request
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Over the last three years:
1. How many retail premises have been visited by your Trading Standards office in relation to the sale of cigarettes?
2. On how many occasions have illegal cigarettes been found at retail premises by Trading Standards officers?
3. What is the estimated total number and value of illegal cigarettes found at retail premises by Trading Standards officers?
4. How many times have referrals regarding illegal cigarettes been made to HMRC using Track and Trace?
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CLARIFICATION
Please supply the last three complete financial years (i.e. 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026)
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Response
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Over the last three years:
1. How many retail premises have been visited by your Trading Standards office in relation to the sale of cigarettes?
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
2023/24 |
3 |
|
2024/25 |
12 |
|
2025/26 |
10 |
2. On how many occasions have illegal cigarettes been found at retail premises by Trading Standards officers?
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
2023/24 |
2 |
|
2024/25 |
13 |
|
2025/26 |
21 |
3. What is the estimated total number and value of illegal cigarettes found at retail premises by Trading Standards officers?
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
|
Number of Cigarettes |
Value of Cigarettes |
|
2023/24 |
9,967 |
£7,728 |
|
2024/25 |
216,120 |
£168,681 |
|
2025/26 |
89,880 |
£70,151 |
4. How many times have referrals regarding illegal cigarettes been made to HMRC using Track and Trace?
Answer: Please see the table below:
|
2023/24 |
0 |
|
2024/25 |
0 |
|
2025/26 |
0 |
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CLARIFICATION
Please supply the last three complete financial years (i.e. 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026)
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Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.