Seventy one per cent of smokers say they have purchased smuggled tobacco products, according to the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association’s 2016 Anti Illicit Trade Report.
The report also revealed that one in five people were aware of illicit tobacco being sold in their area. However, only 21% of these had reported it in the last 12 months, with excuses for looking the other way including “it’s none of my business”, “I didn’t know who to tell” and “I didn’t want to get the sellers into trouble”.
NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter called for the government, HMRC, police and trading standards to make a concerted effort to tackle what he describes as “a real threat” once and for all.
Unfortunately the report found that more than a third of respondents (37%) said they knew of illicit products being sold in corner shops and newsagents.
“Any retailer who sells illegal tobacco in their store is giving the rest of the sector a bad name and in these instances we are fully supportive of manufacturers removing their gantries,” concluded Baxter.
