From: EurActiv
Tobacco smugglers have found new ways of expanding their illegal activities and now focus on a trend called “cheap whites”, which is raising new challenges for European regulators and Europol.
The illicit tobacco trade is a global issue accounting for an estimated 10.4% of the cigarette market worldwide. In addition to being a major funding source for organised crime, the cost to European tax revenues is estimated to amount to €11.3 billion a year (See background).
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The “cheap whites”
Traditionally, the illicit tobacco trade has been dominated by counterfeiting, but “illicit whites” are an emerging trend. These cigarettes may be legally produced but are then smuggled and traded illegally.
