High volume of illicit cigarettes in Ipswich
Ipswich/Felixstowe: High volume of illegal cigarettes in towns could be linked to port
Sunday, March 10, 2013
12:00 PM
NEW figures have revealed more than a third of cigarettes being smoked in Ipswich are illegal, costing the taxpayer millions of pounds.
A survey of empty and discarded cigarette packs in the last three months of 2012 revealed that nearly 34% were either counterfeit or had been smuggled into the country.
In the last quarter of 2011, the figure stood at 27%.
Ipswich has the 23rd highest level of illicit cigarettes out of 105 cities and towns visited for the MSIntelligence survey.
Nearly 13,000 packs were studied for the survey.
Former Scotland Yard inspector Will O’Reilly is conducting research to gain intelligence on the issue.
He said: “Just as armed robberies of the 70s and 80s made way for the drugs trade and large-scale fraud in the 90s, so a new crime of choice has emerged, which carries even less risk and even greater profits.
“The trade in illicit tobacco has become the primary source of revenue for some criminal gangs and terrorist groups and it has already reached epidemic proportions in some parts of the UK.”
Places chosen for the survey were areas with populations of more than 100,000 people and the packs were taken from streets and easy access bins.
Gillingham, in Kent, was revealed to have the worst problem, with more than half of cigarettes being smoked there coming from the black market.
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7 comments
This is 'University of the Bleedin' Obvious' reporting. Contraband comes in to the country from outside the country. Therefore, it will be most available near to the points of entry, because it costs money to transport the stuff. I love the comment that plod is 'gaining intelligence on this issue' !!
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cwayconslt
Monday, March 11, 2013
Just a hunch but it could also be the result of the highest taxation in Europe.
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Sam
Monday, March 11, 2013
If there were no demand for cheaper tobacco there would be no supply.
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Winston Barrington Jr.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Am I missing something ... Apart from the headline, where does this news story make any mention of the illegal cigarettes being linked to the port?
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MZH
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Not linked to the port but linked to the poor standard of living generally in Ipswich and Felixstowe . That is the reason , Ipswich is deemed to a deteriorating area and this is rubbing off . People with less money addicted to tobacco will buy it where its cheapest , large marketplace in Ipswich with so many poor people and immigrants sending a large proportion of their hard earned money home .
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Poppys Dad
Sunday, March 10, 2013
A third seems a little high!as a smoker I have never had an opportunity to buy from the black market!and picking up discarded packets?maybe the people that pay full price also have the respect not to drop their rubbish and refrain from smoking as much in public places?
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Iwant2rightthenews
Sunday, March 10, 2013
What, people are going through our bins to get these 'statistics'? One third? Yeah right, and I'm the second coming...
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Mister Cynical
Sunday, March 10, 2013