Half a million fake cigarettes seized in raid

Around half a million fake cigarettes have been seized from a property in Hull.

The council's trading standards team, alongside Humberside Police, confiscated the counterfeit products from a house on Anlaby Road on 16 January.

The authority said the seizure included half a million cigarettes, 266lbs (121kg) of tobacco and 500 vapes hidden in stacks of cardboard boxes.

Hull City Council said the goods would not have been subject to any safety checks, including measures which would prevent them easily igniting when not actively being smoked.

In 2024, a total of 2.4m cigarettes, 21,916 tobacco packs and 42,403 vapes were seized from various locations including a concrete drain and an industrial-sized bin.

Councillor Charles Quinn said: "Tobacco like this is about more than just cheap cigarettes or vapes.

"Products aren't subject to any safety regulations – they could pose a significant fire risk and there's simply no way to know what you're actually buying.

"Research also shows they fund organised crime. There's simply no place for these counterfeit products in our communities".

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