FOI request (FOIR-725788568)

Illegal/Counterfeit Tobacco/Cigarettes

Requested Wed 25 June 2025
Responded Tue 01 July 2025

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request information regarding the seizure of illegal/counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes within the jurisdiction of Hastings Borough Council and subsequent prosecutions initiated by the trading standards officers.

Specifically, I request the following information for each of the past five years, starting from January 1, 2019:

1. Seizure Data:

a. The total quantity of illegal/counterfeit tobacco (number of cigarettes, kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco, or other relevant measures) seized by trading standards officers each year.

b. he total number of instances (separate occasions) of such seizures each year.

2. Prosecutions:

a. The number of prosecutions launched by trading standards against sellers of illegal/counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes each year.

b. The number of successful prosecutions each year.

c. The number of unsuccessful prosecutions each year.

If possible, please provide the data in a structured format (spreadsheet or table) and clarify any definitions used for 'cases' or 'illegal tobacco products' (for example, counterfeit, smuggled, or non-compliant products). If certain data is unavailable or incomplete, please provide what is available and note any limitations.

---

Response

Information not held.

Trading Standards is dealt with by East Sussex County Council, please visit their website for further information:

https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk