Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data the Department holds on enforcement operations against retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products or non-compliant nicotine products in each of the last three years, including the number of (a) premises searched, (b) arrests made, and (c) premises closed, broken down by (i) England and Wales, (ii) West Sussex, and (iii) Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates of the tobacco tax gap, including revenue lost through the illicit trade in cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, in the annual Measuring Tax Gaps publication. The latest tax gap figures are available for 2024 25 tax year.

HMRC does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products. Although HMRC records information on illicit tobacco investigations, those investigations are not routinely categorised by linked criminality type.

HMRC recognises that the illicit tobacco trade is linked to organised criminality and can cause significant social and economic harm to local communities. HMRC works closely with law enforcement partners to target and disrupt organised crime groups involved in the illicit tobacco supply chain. The joint HMRC and Border Force strategy, Stubbing out the problem, published in 2024, sets out the government's approach to reducing demand for illicit tobacco and tackling the organised crime groups that dominate the market.

HMRC publishes annual outputs for tackling tobacco smuggling on GOV.UK, including data for 2025–26. Detail on outputs from Operation CeCe, our joint initiative with Trading Standards to tackle illicit tobacco at local retail level, can be found in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answers provided to UIN 128189, UIN 107092, and UIN 84365 for more information.

Data is not produced for localised geographical areas and therefore is not available for West Sussex or for the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.