Illicit Alcohol Sales Campaign

Sheffield Drug and Alcohol Co-ordination team are working with Sheffield Trading Standards to raise awareness in the city of illegal alcohol being sold – the campaign is called ‘Stamp it Out’.  Illegal, or illicit alcohol is either fake alcohol that has been produced in counterfeit bottles and has been labelled as a genuine product, or it is genuine branded alcohol that has been stolen in bulk and sold on, thus avoiding paying any tax of duty.

The former kind can be extremely dangerous, and it is essential that consumers and retailers alike are aware of this alcohol which can be full of harmful chemicals but are being sold as if fit for human consumption.  If consumed, illegal alcohol can cause severe illness, vomiting, nausea, coma, and in severe cases, blindness.  Over 2000 bottles of illegal alcohol have been seized in Sheffield between April 2013 and August 2013 – action has been taken against 15 individual premises found to be selling it.

If you believe you have been sold illegal alcohol, you can call anonymously either Sheffield Trading Standards on 0845 404 0506 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

There are two leaflets downloadable from the links below – one is a leaflet for consumers and one a leaflet for retailers.

Illegal Alcohol Retailer Leaflet

Illegal Alcohol – Consumer Card