UK illegal cigarette business – level 3

UK illegal cigarette business

09-07-2025 07:00

A BBC investigation has shown that illegal tobacco sales are rising in mini marts across British high streets. Police and Trading Standards are struggling to stop the problem.

Criminal gangs are said to be behind the trade, making profits equal to selling hard drugs like heroin. Some shops even employ asylum seekers with no right to work. Officials describe the situation as a war, but they say they don’t have enough resources.

Police found hidden tunnels and stashes of illegal cigarettes under shop floors. Some people who work in these shops don’t take the issue seriously, even when they lose thousands of pounds. One man with a criminal record was angry when BBC reporters uncovered the secret storage areas.

The problem is not limited to one city. In Hull, undercover teams found hundreds of shops selling smuggled cigarettes. These sales are linked to modern slavery, drug crime, and money laundering. Despite fines and arrests, some shops reopen and sell again the same day.

Difficult words: mini mart (a small supermarket), stash (a secret supply of something), money laundering (illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illegal activities).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.

What crimes have been linked to the smuggled cigarette sales uncovered in hundreds of Hull shops?

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