Fake cigarette sellers outrun the law

Black market tobacco sellers are employing the tactics of drug runners to make sales and thwart police stings, a C-Store investigation has revealed.

Our survey of convenience stores and market stalls in North London revealed widespread awareness of the illicit tobacco traders, who are becoming increasingly difficult to apprehend.

“Two or three years ago it was easy for officials to catch the sellers out, but they are now using sophisticated concealment and payment methods, making it much harder,” Tobacco Manufacturers Association (TMA) security liaison manager Robert Fenton told C-Store.

Illicit traders have taken to stashing stock in street furniture such as bins, benches and awnings rather than carrying it around. ‘Runners’ are also used to collect stashed stock and payment.

With the illicit tobacco trade now more lucrative to criminal gangs than illegal drugs, the number of legitimate retailers being intimidated into storing stock for gangs is also thought to be on the increase, Fenton added.

TMA figures show a marked increase in the levels of counterfeit cigarettes and “cheap whites” being bought from illicit sources in the past 12 months.

“Tests on these cheap cigarettes have revealed high levels of carbon monoxide and tar, but at just £3 a pack cash-strapped smokers are prepared to pay the price,” Fenton added.

London’s streets are currently being flooded with a new type of cheap white cigarette called Hamilton. Packs are currently changing hands for £2.50.

Fenton also warned that the problem was likely to get worse following the return of VAT to 17.5% on January 1, which has added up to 18p to a pack of 20 cigarettes. “Further price rises in the legitimate market will play directly into criminals’ hands, delivering a further blow to the law-abiding trade,” he added.

Source: The Grocer - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/8zjcr7

Tobacco mules smoked out by customs

Festive tobacco traffickers had their Christmas Day smuggling scam stubbed out.

A gang of six passengers were arrested after their luggage was found to be packed full of 200 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco and more than 20,000 cigarettes. They had tried to sneak the cargo into Tyneside after arriving on a flight from Tenerife.

But HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officers were lying in wait and swooped to recover the goods. The haul would be worth nearly £50,000 on the black market and saw the taxman cheated out of around £33,000 in unpaid duty.

It is the second time villains have tried to stage smuggling missions during the yuletide season.

In 2005, 146 suitcases packed full of more than two million cigarettes were recovered at Newcastle International Airport, which again came off a flight from Tenerife.

Fred Simmons, Assistant Director of the UK Border Agency welcomed the latest seizure.

He said “This is an example of how the UK Border Agency is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, securing our border against smuggling.

“The message is that there is never a good time to smuggle things into Newcastle. Tobacco smuggling is not a victimless crime.  A haul like this would have defrauded the Government and the taxpayer out of vital funds for services, as well as undermining genuine manufacturers and shops plying an honest trade. Cigarette smuggling is a serious organised crime and often provides the funding for much larger criminal operations such as drug smuggling or people trafficking.

“The UK Border Agency, in partnership with HM Revenue & Customs, will not hesitate to take strong action against those involved in smuggling.”

The North East has been identified as a hotspot for the importation of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.

Gang bosses are known to recruit mules, buying them budget flights and giving them pocket money in exchange for bringing huge quantities of tobacco back into the region for sale in clubs, pubs, factories and even from houses.

The six people arrested this Christmas Day had arrived into Newcastle at around 9.15pm.

The goods had been stashed in their luggage, which had been placed in the hold of the plane.

In 2005, the haul of cigs came off a flight that arrived at 1am on Christmas Day.

No-one was arrested at the time because all the bags were unclaimed.

They contained ranges of cigarette cartons, including Lambert & Butler, and the duty evaded was around £500,000.

Source: Chronicle Live - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/5jmtBr

Rochdale: 200 seek help to quit smoking

More than 200 people from the borough visited the NHS Quit It bus when it drove into town to offer stop-smoking support and free health checks.

The mobile health clinic toured 22 locations in some of the poorest areas of Greater Manchester over the last seven weeks, raising awareness of the links between smoking, stroke and heart attacks and offering medical support and advice.

It prompted a number of people to request referrals to local quit-it services, while others made a check on their health through cholesterol, lung, body mass index and blood pressure tests.

The Quit It campaign is part of a major overhaul of services in a bid to improve the recovery chances of people who have a stroke.

Pat Karney, director of Smoke Free Greater Manchester, said: “This campaign has been fantastic in engaging people. The message of how smoking is directly linked to strokes and heart attacks is really important, as research shows that people who smoke are up to three times more likely to have a stroke than those who don’t.

“The statistics for Greater Manchester are staggering — more than 6,000 people are affected by strokes each year and approximately 5,000 people die of coronary heart disease.”

Dr Peter Elton, Greater Manchester director of public health for cardio-vascular disease, said: “I am delighted that so many people have responded to our campaign message that it is never too late to give up smoking.”

Source: Rochdale Online - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/5DecZM

Smuggled tobacco worth 95.8m euro

Customs officers seized 95.8 million euro worth of smuggled tobacco last year - up almost 70% on 2008, it has emerged.

The bulk of the massive rise was down to Europe's largest-ever seizure of cigarettes in October - more than 120 million valued at 50 million euro - from a vessel docked at Greenore Port in Co Louth.

The record haul involved 80,000 Palace and Chelsea cigarettes stuffed into 1,489 animal feed bags in a vessel that sailed to Ireland from the Philippines.

Source: Yahoo! - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/7AxYRJ

Plymouth: Thousands kick the habit

THE NHS Stop Smoking Service in Plymouth saw 4,703 quit attempts last year, of which 2,091 people successfully kicked the habit.

Across the South West, 11,771 people quit smoking over the New Year period in 2008/09. This figure is up on the 10,944 people in the region who quit over the same period the year before. The figures follow the launch of Smokefree South West in March 2009, which aimed to tackle smoking in the region.

Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West, said: "These figures are a tremendous tribute to all the former smokers who have decided to improve the health of themselves and their families.

"The figures also highlight all the NHS Stop Smoking Service advisers in the region who work so hard to help people to quit smoking.

"Twenty one per cent of adults in the South West smoke, the same as the national average, but the fact that more than 11,500 people who made a New Year 2009 pledge to quit have successfully reached their goal is real cause for celebration."

The NHS Stop Smoking Service has a network of advisers across the South West who run free advice sessions and can offer practical support and guidance on the best methods for each individual to quit smoking.

Sessions are held in more than 1,000 locations in the South West such as pharmacies, GP surgeries, workplaces and village halls.

Source: This is Plymouth - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/5i6bCX

Stafford: Runaway cigarette smuggler is jailed

A hixon man who absconded while on bail to avoid appearing in court for smuggling more than three million cigarettes has been jailed for three years and three months.

Neil Harding, 34, of The Cabin, Knowle Farm, Lea Road, was stopped at Dover on September 13, 2007 by HM Revenue and Customs officers.

He had arrived on a ferry from Calais in France with a cab unit and no trailer and was arrested when he went to Newhaven to collect a trailer, which arrived from Dieppe.

Officers at Newhaven had already started examining the trailer, and after removing five sheets of wood from a number of the pallets, they discovered cut out sections containing the massive haul of cigarettes. The cigarettes were all branded GB Classic with a potential revenue loss of nearly £557,000 to the public purse.

The judge issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear at court on April 27 last year for the start of his trial. Investigating officers discovered Harding had fled to France and a European arrest warrant was issued. He was caught just before Christmas by French police in La Rochelle and extradited to Britain on December 30 where he was remanded in custody.

Sentencing Harding at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday Judge Scott-Gall said: “It was a significant, serious and sophisticated operation and the evidence against you is, and was always, overwhelming.

Your role was very vital as you were trusted to drive the vehicle.” John Cooper, assistant director criminal investigation for HM Revenue & Customs, said: “Tobacco smuggling has a devastating impact on genuine retailers who are having to compete with the black market economy.

Source: Staffordshire Newsletter - 7 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/87NQHw