Tweet The Singapore Customs recently realised that that has been an influx of illegal cigarettes in the black market. They also pointed out that ccigarettes bearing the brand “Moon Mountain” are currently not supplied by any local tobacco importer or wholesaler licensed by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). The customs believe that these cigarettes are being smuggled into Singapore by syndicates. The cigarettes resemble legitimate ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet More than 114 million cigarettes worth 38 million euro have been seized by Customs over a three-month period. The Irish Tobacco Manufacturers Advisory Committee (ITMAC) warned the illegal tobacco trade is sweeping across the country, with Cork becoming a major target for smugglers. Figures showed that between April to August some 25 million illegal cigarettes were seized across Cork, with a value of 8.3 million euro. Just four people were p ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Raising California’s cigarette tax has been proposed as a relatively painless way to finance medical research and shrink the state budget shortfall. But do higher taxes mean higher revenues? Not necessarily. Oakland mayoral candidate Don Perata wrote in the Mercury News July 8 that his 2012 statewide ballot measure to raise the tobacco excise tax by $1 per pack would generate $855 million annually for cancer research. Similarly rosy p ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Mexican drug smugglers are increasingly peddling a form of ultra-potent heroin that sells for as little as $10 a bag and is so pure it can kill unsuspecting users instantly, sometimes before they even remove the syringe from their veins. An Associated Press review of drug overdose data shows that so-called “black tar” heroin – named for its dark, gooey consistency – and other forms of the drug are contributing to a ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet The chocolate-brown labrador plunges into the car, scratching wildly, before a customs officer sets to work with a screwdriver and torch. Minutes later, the officer wrenches apart an underfloor cache, pulls out a carton wrapped in black plastic and cuts it open to reveal 10 packets of cigarettes. Bezledy is a Polish border crossing with Russia’s Baltic territory of Kaliningrad. It is also on the front line in a battle against contraba ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet Tobacco smugglers are using creative ways to avoid detection by Canadian Border Services Agency officers. RCMP Sgt. Michael Harvey says an increasing number of tobacco smugglers are modifying their vehicles to hide contraband. By removing the side panels and flatbed panels of a pick-up truck, smugglers can hide tobacco in the hollow compartments and then put the panels back in place, he says. Harvey says he’s noticed the rise since July 1 ... Jump to full article >>

Tweet MOHAWK NATION OF AKWESASNE — The NYPD has gone on the reservation — sending its drug czar upstate to try to help cut off a massive pipeline of pot and ecstasy to the city run by Mohawk Indian smugglers on the Canadian border. “I was astounded at how lenient the border is,” said Chief Joseph Resnick, head of the NYPD’s narcotics division. He spoke after a trip six weeks ago to the Akwesasne reservation, which st ... Jump to full article >>