Mafia whether they be Russian, Chinese or any other nationality have been well looked after by the various governments of the UK. So much so you'd think it was the government who approached the criminal fraternity and said "We're gonna make you an offer you can't refuse'
Government hiked the taxes of tobacco so high that the profits to be got from smuggling indeed couldn't be refused.
To ensure that there's enough customers to go round for all the Mafia gangs, the government directed their agencies such as UKBA/Border Force to target legitimate cross-border shoppers. These shoppers once robbed of their legally bought goods invariably ended up as customers for the smuggling trade.
Further help was given by the government when they made laws that forced shops to hide the legitimate tobacco products making it an ordeal to purchase one's tobacco of choice. No such problem with the illicit trade ... their customer service is second to none ... they'll even make home deliveries!
The Mafia gangs then sought more profit by counterfeiting the reputable brands. Technology allowed them to do this but only to a certain degree because the reputable brands used embossing and the like on their packaging. The Mafia gangs found this very expensive to replicate. So they went and saw their friends in government and asked them to do something about it.
Government duly obliged and brought in plain packaging.
Truly Golden Years for the criminal fraternity :)
It matters not that the government has destroyed legitimate businesses and put people on the dole. What next, you ask? Well, alcohol of course!
.........
Join our FORUM
Government hiked the taxes of tobacco so high that the profits to be got from smuggling indeed couldn't be refused.
To ensure that there's enough customers to go round for all the Mafia gangs, the government directed their agencies such as UKBA/Border Force to target legitimate cross-border shoppers. These shoppers once robbed of their legally bought goods invariably ended up as customers for the smuggling trade.
Further help was given by the government when they made laws that forced shops to hide the legitimate tobacco products making it an ordeal to purchase one's tobacco of choice. No such problem with the illicit trade ... their customer service is second to none ... they'll even make home deliveries!
The Mafia gangs then sought more profit by counterfeiting the reputable brands. Technology allowed them to do this but only to a certain degree because the reputable brands used embossing and the like on their packaging. The Mafia gangs found this very expensive to replicate. So they went and saw their friends in government and asked them to do something about it.
Government duly obliged and brought in plain packaging.
Truly Golden Years for the criminal fraternity :)
It matters not that the government has destroyed legitimate businesses and put people on the dole. What next, you ask? Well, alcohol of course!
.........
Join our FORUM
Paisley’s cigarette black market trade is the worst in Scotland
ReplyDeleteAug 10 2011 by Gavin McInally, Paisley Daily Express
A SOARING black market cigarette trade in Paisley is funding organised crime in the town.
Shock figures – unveiled yesterday in an investigation by tobacco giant Philip Morris –found that more than one in TEN fags smoked were illegal as Paisley topped the league of shame for fake cigarette sales.
And last night local Trading Standards officers warned smokers that what may appear to be a cheap deal for cigarettes in the pub or bookies leads to funding organised crime across Renfrewshire.
Paisley’s cigarette black market topped a list of Scottish towns and cities with almost 14 per cent of fags sold to smokers through illicit channels.
This compared to 10 per cent in Glasgow, six per cent in East Kilbride, just four per cent Edinburgh and Dundee and a national average of almost eight per cent.
Illicit sales of fags are estimated to cost the UK government around £2billion each year in lost tax.
Sleeves of cheaper foreign imports from EU countries including Spain, Portugal and Poland, are flown back into Paisley before being sold on the streets and the town’s pubs.
However Trading Standards chiefs last night warned Buddies that cheaper cigarettes are often laced with dangerous chemicals.
A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said: “Trading Standards officers rarely see counterfeit or contraband cigarettes being sold through retail outlets. People buy illegal cigarettes on street corners, in pubs and bookies and they know that what they are buying has probably been smuggled into the country.
“This makes generating hard intelligence about illegal cigarettes very difficult.
“Counterfeiters don't observe any form of quality control.
“Asbestos, rat droppings, plastics and petrol residues have all been found in counterfeit cigarettes along with lead levels 30 times higher than those found in legal cigarettes.
“Illegal cigarettes are dangerous and people have to realise that buying them isn't just a matter of saving a few pounds on a packet.
“Counterfeit cigarettes are even more lethal than the legitimate variety.”
Assistant Director of Criminal Investigations at HMRC John Whiting added: “Tobacco smuggling is organised crime with huge profits ploughed straight back into the criminal underworld, feeding activities like drug dealing.”
Anyone with information about illegal cigarettes can call Consumer Direct on 084444 4444 4444