From: Manchester Evening News
Knock-off and smuggled cigarettes rife on Manchester’s streets can fund
terrorism and gang crime, while some have been found to contain asbestos
and even rat droppings.
By Emily Heward
The true cost of cheap cigarettes can today be laid bare as the M.E.N launches a campaign against the illegal tobacco trade.
Knock-off and smuggled cigarettes rife on Manchester’s streets can fund terrorism and gang crime, while some have been found to contain asbestos and even rat droppings.
Undercover industry agents have found packs of 20 cigarettes on sale illegally in the city for as little as £3 – a fraction of their average £8 price tag.
Rolling tobacco was also being sold at £3 for a 50g pouch, which normally costs around £15.
The price difference represents a huge tax loss, which is estimated to cost the UK economy £2bn a year. And the vast profits to be made could be helping to line the pockets of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, according to United Nations experts.
