Editor’s Note: For the Portuguese original, see here.
From: CRE Brazil
A survey carried out by the National Forum Against Piracy pointed out that last year, contraband cigarettes, mainly from Paraguay, reached more than 50% of the markets in 15 of Brazil’s 26 states. In five of them, participation was over 60%: 78% in Mato Grosso do Sul, 72% in Bahia, 69% in Mato Grosso, 67% in Pará and 60% in Maranhão
The state with the lowest proportion of illegal cigarettes was Rio de Janeiro, with 20%. According to the National Forum against Piracy, in 2016, the loss of revenue from tobacco smuggled across the country was R$8.7 billion (US$2.8 billion).
