What is the score?
While our economy is struggling and the price of goods continues to rise it is no surprise that people want to save a few quid on their cigs but the truth is many people don’t know what they are getting for their precious £’s.
- Smokers are often led to believe they are buying real, duty-free or smuggled cigs and the only person getting hurt by it is the tax man.
- But over 80% of UK branded cigarettes seized by HMRC are fakes (HMRC 2008)
- The production and distribution of fake cigs are large scale enterprises, run by organised criminal gangs (HMRC 2006).
- It is well known that profits made from fake cigarettes are ploughed back in to the underground to fund other forms of criminal activity such as class A drugs, people trafficking and terrorism (ASH Scotland 2009).
Fake cigs are made in unregulated premises where there is no control over the ingredients or production standards.
