Fake cigarettes said to be worth around £7,000 have been seized following a series of raids on shops in the borough by Croydon Council.

Officers and special handlers with sniffer dogs discovered roughly 700 packets of the illegal cigarettes at three properties in Thornton Heath and West Croydon.

The counterfeit packets included fake packaging from well-known brands – such as Dunhill, Marlboro, Mayfair, and Rothmans – and were sold at independent shops.

Now a Croydon Council spokesman said this week (July 16) that trading standards are investigating the shop owners involved.

Cllr Hamida Ali, cabinet member for safer Croydon and communities, said: “The sale of illegal cigarettes poses a major public health risk and damages our economy, so this seizure by our trading standards team protects both customers and law-abiding businesses in the borough.

“Getting involved in the sale or supply of fake cigarettes can land you in serious trouble, so always be careful about what you buy and who from.”

Those prosecuted and convicted after being found selling or supplying illegal tobacco can face up to 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

A Croydon Council spokesman added that fake tobacco is banned because “it often contains dangerous ingredients not usually found in cigarettes”, such as bleach and mouse droppings.

Customers who purchase them can spot illegal cigarettes because they don’t have health warnings about smoking or are written in foreign languages.

In addition, illegal tobacco is often sold in “unusual” places such as burger vans, ice cream vans, private houses, and pubs.

Most of those found by the council were written in Polish, Russian, and Turkish while being sold for around £10 each.

“Frequent” spot checks are also carried out by the council to assess whether business are selling illegal tobacco to underage customers who are deemed at risk of becoming regular smokers through fake sales.

If you suspect tobacco you have bought could be counterfeit, then you can report it to Citizens’ Advice on 03454 040 506.