MORE than one million undeclared cigarettes have been uncovered following a joint enforcement operation involving Thurrock Council's Trading Standards Imports Team and Border Force.

On 22 September, the council's Trading Standards officers supported enforcement activity at Tilbury Port and London Gateway Port, working alongside specialist nicotine detection dogs, Milo and Grace.

As part of the operation, the council's Imports Team identified a container of interest through its intelligence-led work.

During the examination, officers discovered boxes that had been turned inside out to disguise their contents. The boxes were found to contain cigarettes and were referred to Border Force for further examination.

The subsequent enforcement activity resulted in the discovery of 1.125 million undeclared cigarettes across five different brands, imported from Nigeria.

While the cigarettes were not identified by the specialist detection dogs, Milo and Grace, their involvement formed part of the wider joint operation to tackle illicit tobacco products entering the UK through Thurrock's ports.

The council has expressed thanks to the teams at Tilbury Port and London Gateway Port for their assistance and cooperation during the operation. Their support, alongside Border Force and specialist detection teams, demonstrates the importance of partnership working to identify suspicious imports and disrupt the supply of illicit products.

Thurrock is home to some of the UK's busiest and most strategically important ports, making the council's Trading Standards Imports Team an important part of wider efforts to tackle illegal and potentially unsafe products entering the country.

Working alongside national enforcement partners and the ports themselves, the team helps identify suspicious consignments, gather intelligence about supply routes and support action against products that do not meet UK legal requirements.

This work also helps protect legitimate businesses from unfair competition and reduces the risk of illegal goods reaching communities across Thurrock and beyond.

The council's Imports Team has also received additional funding through National Trading Standards to support local authority Trading Standards teams working at ports to tackle illegal vaping products.

Illegal vapes can pose risks to consumers, including excessive nicotine concentrations, harmful substances, and electrical safety issues. Some may also be counterfeit versions of legitimate products.

The sale and supply of single-use disposable vapes was banned in June 2025 as part of measures to reduce environmental harm and waste.

Cllr Russell Cherry, cabinet member for Veterans, Enforcement and Environment, said: "Thurrock is home to some of the UK's most important ports, which means our Trading Standards officers have a vital role in supporting efforts to stop illegal and potentially unsafe products before they reach communities here and across the country.

"This joint operation demonstrates the value of intelligence-led enforcement and partnership working with Border Force, specialist detection teams and our port operators.

"The discovery of more than one million undeclared cigarettes is a significant result and highlights the scale of the challenge faced by officers working at our ports.

"By working together to disrupt the supply of illicit products, we are helping to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses and ensure those who break the rules are held to account."