The latest tactics of illicit tobacco and vape selling stores were exposed last week as JTI and Better Retailing went undercover to catch dodgy shops in the act.

The day started with a secretive meeting at 10am in a hotel room with two undercover investigators, ‘Peter’ and ‘Anna’ – whose names have been changed to protect their identities.

Peter explained we would be visiting convenience stores in four areas: Armley, Harehills, Cross Gates and Beeston. These locations were described as the roughest in Leeds. “Our investigators do test purchases across the UK each week,” he told Better Retailing. “Leeds is within the top areas we visit for counterfeit goods and products imported illegally.”

Codewords

The businesses chosen were based on intelligence and previous test purchasing to build trust with the sellers. We drove to the first location where Anna went into a store suspected of selling dodgy goods.

Anna returned with a plastic bag containing vapes with a 10,000-or-more puff count. Other products suspected of being illicit included £5 Amber Leaf, Marlboro, Richmond and SG cigarettes.

Explaining the process, Anna said: “There are codewords. Some customers will ask for ‘yellow’, ‘green,’ ‘cheap’ or ‘European tobacco’. Some Polish shops will only serve customers who speak Polish.”

Peter added: “Illicit sales used to predominantly happen in pubs or council estates, and very rarely shops. However, shops are a big marketplace now. The cost-of-living crisis has partly driven this, and it’s also easy to hide illicit stock with bread and milk.”

Growing problem

It was a similar result in the other areas we visited, with the hauls containing very cheap or branded cigarettes and tobacco, alongside vapes either with a suspiciously high puff count or branded like a popular kids’ confectionery product.

Peter said he had seen a noticeable increase in illicit vapes being sold in the past year.

“We’re finding a lot of plain-pack vapes which don’t have the puff count on them. Law enforcement struggles to seize them because plain packs make it harder to prove they’re illegal.

“A lot of sellers are pre-empting next year’s disposable vapes ban and a lot of illicit stock is going underground, instead of being hidden in shelves.”

Read the full investigation in the 24 September edition of Retail Express, available here

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