Police in British Columbia and Ontario have seized more than 13 million contraband cigarettes in separate stings. On the West Coast, RCMP busted what they say is the largest counterfeit cigarette shipment ever detected in B.C. — 10 million contraband cigarettes headed to Canada. One Canadian man and six from China are facing charges of smuggling and possessing unlawfully imported goods and improperly stamped tobacco after the Oct. 29 bust. ... Jump to full article >>

Government efforts at reducing tobacco use through increased taxation is being seriously undermined by the smuggling industry which makes available tax free cigarettes to young people and price sensitive smokers, National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Chief Prof Carlo Fonseka said. Smuggling also reduce Government revenue that is an increasingly important funding source for tobacco control and other public health programs, he added whi ... Jump to full article >>

Father Jacques Labelle spies them at night from his rectory window, and later often has to fix the damage they leave behind. Perched on the edge of the St. Lawrence River, his Precious Blood Catholic Church boasts a picturesque setting — and ideal conditions for the army of cigarette runners who work the unique neighbourhood. Smugglers routinely unload their contraband on the church’s concrete dock, nicely hidden from the nearby highway, the ... Jump to full article >>

For the second time in recent history, a correctional officer at the Federal Medical Center has pleaded guilty to taking money from inmates in exchange for bringing contraband into the facility. Cheryl Wheeler, 53, of Wabasha, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to accepting about $5,000 in bribes from relatives of two inmates in exchange for supplying those inmates with tobacco. She pleaded guilty to one count of bribery ... Jump to full article >>

The former boss of a football club who took part in one of the country’s biggest cigarette smuggling crimes was jailed for five and half years today. Guy Simpson, who used to be chief executive of Southern League Premier Division side Halesowen Town, helped organise the shipment from China loaded in two 40ft (12m) containers which held more than 21 million counterfeit cigarettes. He admitted at an earlier hearing to fraudulently avoiding d ... Jump to full article >>

Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority uncovered an attempt to smuggle in 2,150 cartons of cigarettes, which would have drawn duties totalling some $165,000. The cigarettes were found hidden within the undercarriage of a Malaysian lorry that pulled up at the Woodlands Checkpoint in the early hours of Monday, carrying a consignment of concrete paving slabs. The 34-year-old driver admitted to being aware of the contraband. He claim ... Jump to full article >>

Bootleggers beware. A warning in Illinois promises anyone smuggling cigarettes will be punished. The problem is coming right over the border from Missouri, and Illinois officials worry it’s going to get worse. Drivers coming into Illinois are being greeted with a warning. It’s a sign is on the Illinois side of the McKinley bridge in Vencie. It warns that cigarette smugglers will be punished with jail time, fines and vehicle seizures ... Jump to full article >>

The Finance Ministry will launch a strict country-wide audit to tackle smuggled cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, which is predicted to increase after recent rises in the private consumption tax (ÖTV) on these products. According to information from the Anatolia news agency gathered from anonymous sources in the Revenues Administration (GİB), tax auditors will focus more on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products this year to fight smugglin ... Jump to full article >>

Sharp increases in the price of cigarettes in January 2010 could fuel an explosion in tobacco smuggling, the Tobacco Retailers Alliance (TRA) has warned. The proposed increase to VAT announced in the chancellor’s pre-Budget report will mean a price rise of around 13 – 18p on a packet of 20 cigarettes. Retailers fear the cost increase will push more smokers onto the black market in tobacco products, which are typically sold at half th ... Jump to full article >>

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has just until Dec. 26 to conclude discussions with Switzerland-based Sicpa Product Security SA for the firm’s unsolicited proposal to provide tamper proof security stamps on cigarettes and alcohol products in the Philippines, an agency official said. BIR Deputy Commissioner Lilia Guillermo, in a recent briefing with lawmakers on the Sicpa project, said that under the Build-Operate-Transfer Law or RA 7718, ... Jump to full article >>