Thousands of illegal cigarettes have been seized in Darlington
Raids have been carried out at eight premises across the town
Last updated 3rd Jul 2025
Thousands of cigarettes have been seized from Darlington businesses as part of an ongoing operation targeting suspected illegal tobacco sellers.
Working together with Durham Constabulary and other local agencies, Darlington Borough Council undertook a series of raids at eight premises across the town, including a local barber shop, seizing nearly 6,000 illegal cigarettes, more than two kilograms of hand rolling tobacco, and 20 vapes.
The items, which had an estimated retail value of over £6,000, were recovered from three different properties including B&S Market on Northgate, Pick & Pay on North Road and Corporation Road Mini Market, where items were found stored alongside refuse in a wheelie bin. Seizures were also made from a vehicle directly linked to Your Shop on Gladstone Street. Tobacco detection dogs Griff, Bran and Cooper also sniffed out hiding places that had been used to store products and had been emptied before searches took place at Darlington Mini Market on Gladstone Street, Yarm Road Mini Market and North Market on North Road.
The multi-agency operation took place earlier last month as part of a day of action following a test purchase operation which revealed the sale of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products in 13 of 16 targeted stores. It involved a range of teams and departments from the council including trading standards, licencing, civic enforcement and environmental health, which served Yarm Road Mini Market with an emergency prohibition notice due to concerns about the cleanliness and conditions of the premises.
Leah Ball, fair trading and financial investigations officer who led the operation on behalf of Darlington trading standards, said:
"The trade of illegal tobacco products presents serious dangers to public health; encouraging people to smoke more as well as attracting young people with pocket money prices. It also harms local, honest businesses and feeds into other criminal activity and anti-social behaviour.
"Days of action like this provide us with vital opportunities to gather intelligence, carry out targeted enforcement, and take further legal action against sellers who show a blatant disregard for the law. Community cooperation is crucial in maintaining a safe environment for all, and we encourage anyone with information about the illegal sale of vapes and cigarettes in Darlington to report this to us in trading standards."