Tens of thousands of fake cigarettes taken off Portsmouth streets as Trading Standards receive national award
Dangerous fake cigarettes and vapes are being taken off the streets with Trading Standards officers receiving an award for their work.
The Portsmouth Trading Standards team were named as the Team Commendation Winners at the prestigious ACG Enforcement Awards 2025. They have seized tens of tens-of-thousands-of-pounds worth of illicit tobacco products in several busts - disrupting criminals operations. which aims to celebrate cities who work diligently to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods.
Councillor Lee Hunt, Portsmouth City Council cabinet member for community safety, leisure and sport, said; “Huge congratulations goes to our Trading Standards team on this really significant award. They came up against much larger enforcement teams but won because of their diligence, dedication and skill. While the sale of fake, cheap goods might sound harmless, the truth is these products are unregulated and unsafe for consumers.
“Behind the scenes there’s often large, criminal gangs who target people of all ages, including children. Thanks to our Trading Standards team, criminal activity is being disrupted across the city and the perpetrators are being held to account. The criminal sale of fake goods is growing nation-wide, so we urge people to carefully consider what they’re buying, who is profiting, and the human cost of producing cheap items.”
Trading Standards officers are tasked with removing fake and dangerous products from high street shelves. They have been known to seize huge hauls of illegal cigarettes and vapes in single outings. Storage units filled to the brim with fake branded clothing and electrical goods have been also been found , with officers stopping these items from being sold online.
Surprise inspections have resulted in weighty fines and convictions for the perpetrators; with the owners of Fratton Food Store being convicted for supplying over 45,000 fake cigarettes. Salar Karim Karam and Ali Kader were found guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court in June. Karam received a confiscation order of £27,260.20; he was told he had three months to pay the fine or face a 12-month prison sentence.
A financial investigation into Ali Kader remains ongoing. Portsmouth City Council received £5,248.28 in costs. Four raids took place at Fratton Food Store, with 75,020 illicit cigarettes - worth over £40,000 - being seized alongside £8,575 in cash.
At a council meeting in July, a co-owner of a newsagents on the High Street told the council that children are entering shops asking for counterfeit cigarettes and vapes. The local trader said; “Children come to our shop and ask if they can sell them cigarettes and vapes for £5”, and when they are turned away they “tell us to our face that they'll go to the shop around the corner.”
There is concern nationwide over the vast amount of illegal vapes and cigarettes being sold. Data from National Trading Standards (NTS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed that 1.19m illegal vapes were seized in 2023-24, a 59 per cent increase from the year before.
Richard Las, HMRC fraud investigation service director, said: “Illicit tobacco undermines legitimate retailers, funds wider crime, and harms public health while depriving our vital public services of around £2.2bn a year. We will continue to work with partners like trading standards to tackle this organised criminal trade that harms our communities. These criminals don’t care who they sell to including children.”
Public health and prevention minister, Andrew Gwynne, said the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will allow trading standards to take swifter action to confiscate fake products and close loopholes. He added: “To further crack down on illicit trade of tobacco products and vapes, we are investing an extra £10 million to keep these harmful products out of the hands of kids.”
To report counterfeit items, go to the Citizens Advice or Action Fraud website.