As the illegal tobacco landscape evolves, illegal traders find new and often bizarre ways to conceal illegal hauls. To ensure that detection dogs are equipped to sniff past sophisticated means of concealment, they are selected and trained by specialist dog handlers. But how are they selected? And how are they trained? In this case study…
One Google search will uncover operations up and down the country tackling illegal tobacco sales head-on. Covert captures and million-pound milestones dominate news headlines and show operations up and down the country intercepting sales throughout the year. What do these operations look like on the ground? One frequently used method may surprise you, as it…
A Mothers Account of the Illicit Market The news paints a distinct image of the illegal tobacco market. Facts, figures, and operations steer its portrayal. But beyond the figures, what are the human costs of illicit tobacco? In this article, Claire, a working mother, shares her personal story. When you think of illegal tobacco,…
Becky, a 27-year-old accountant, shares her story of growing up around illegal tobacco. My earliest memories involve sitting in my grandparents living room completely cloaked in smoke. Thick clouds would engulf me and my cousins. As kids, we would pretend to swim in it, and we would even incorporate it into dance routines. We would…