Spike in seizures of illegal tobacco
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
24.08.2015 11:44
Poland's Central Bureau of Police Investigation (CBŚP) has reported that close to 300 tonnes of illegal tobacco were confiscated in the first half of 2015.
Photo: wikimedia commons
The quantity for the first six months of 2015 represents 52 tonnes more than for the entire year of 2014.
Besides the raw tobacco, almost 74 million counterfeit cigarettes were seized from January to June this year.
A CBŚP report has noted that illegal cigarette factories are on the rise in Poland.
Spokesperson for CBŚP Katarzyna Balcer told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that four illegal factories have been shut down so far this year, the same amount for the whole of 2014.
Cigarettes illegally produced in Poland are smuggled out of the country and sold at a large profit in the West. Target countries include the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland.
Balcer said that many groups of organised criminals are favouring such investments, as potentially they carry smaller risks than other crimes (e.g drug trade), with the illegal production and sale of cigarettes often being punished with suspended sentences. (nh/rk)
Source: PAP