From: The Scotsman
by DAVID MADDOX
tobacco smuggling in Scotland has risen by a third in the past two years and is being used to fund paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland and Eastern European criminal gangs, according to a new report.
A survey carried out last year by former Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector Will O’Reilly found that 9.5 per cent of cigarettes for sale in Scotland were either counterfeit, illicit whites or smuggled brands compared to 7.1 per cent in 2011.
The investigation was carried out on behalf of tobacco giant Philip Morris, which claims that the Scottish Government’s plans to bring in plain packaging will lead to a growth in black-market tobacco.
Mr O’Reilly, who toured tenregions in Scotland, found that Eastern European gangs were responsible for the smuggling in the east of the country while paramilitary groups were responsible in the west.
He said: “There is credible intelligence that in the west of the country much of the illicit product is smuggled in from Northern Ireland. Paramilitary groups such as the UDA are believed to control much of the supply and distribution.”
