Tens of thousands of litres of illicit beer and£21,000 in cash have been seized in raids across Nottinghamshire.
The action came as part of a two-day operation to disrupt the sale and supply of illegal tobacco and alcohol in the East Midlands.
Police and customs officers were involved in the raids, targeting smuggled and fake drink and cigarettes.
Officers visited 25 sites spread across Derby and Nottinghamshire and seized suspected illegal and tobacco from 16 of them.
Picture: Some of the illicit beer seized in Mansfield
Sniffer dogs were used to uncover large hauls of cigarettes in some of the premises.
This is theft from the taxpayer
In total the operation uncovered more than 34,000 suspected illicit cigarettes and 10,000 litres of alcohol worth an estimated £25,000 in lost duty.
Stuart Taylor of HMRC said: “The sale of illegal tobacco and alcohol will not be tolerated. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clamp down on the illicit alcohol and tobacco market.
“This is theft from the tax payer and undermines legitimate traders.”
He added that the black market for tobacco and alcohol costs the Government £3 billion a year in lost revenue.
Picture: Tobacco and spirits were also seized
In the last two years the HMRC has seized nearly 3.3 billion cigarettes nationwide.
The operation was carried out by HMRC officers, Derbyshire Police, Nottinghamshire Police and Derby City Council Trading Standards.
Anyone with any information on illegal sales of tobacco or alcohol are asked tp call the Customs Hotline on 0800 59 5000.
The HMRC investigations into the seizures are ongoing.
