From: Curaçao Chronicle
WILLEMSTAD – During an inspection in a mini market, customs recently discovered and seized 15,000 fake cigarettes. These fake cigarettes were open and exposed in a large box which rats and other vermin could walk across it. “It is a serious situation which is very harmful to health”, Varressa Elisabeth, the interim director for customs, stated yesterday during a press conference.
The fake cigarettes, which wear names of the brands Marlboro and Richmond, were sold at the same price as the real brands. These minimarkets did not pay taxes on these cigarettes.
A further investigation has shown that several of these cigarettes do not even have the brand printed on them. The customs pointed out that this kind of counterfeit products are made from ingredients that are harmful to the health.
According to experts, the fake cigarettes are distinguished from the real by, among the other, the odor. “The smell is different from real cigarettes”, said Elisabeth. The cigarettes are not cool as usual and even crammed. The aluminum colored paper on the inside of the suits are stuck together, and in many cases these cigarettes are placed are on sale in a plastic bag on the newsstand.
