Calls for tougher smuggling penalties

ASH Ireland has urged the government to increase its capacity to tackle tobacco smuggling because it increases smoking rates.

The call by the anti-smoking lobby group follows a seizure of over 120 million illegal cigarettes worth some €50 million in Co Louth on Tuesday.

Nine men were arrested in connection with the haul and were freed without charge last week.

The main concern of the organisation was the health impact of the cheap tobacco. "It increases smoking prevalence, particularly with young people and this of course will increase the national spend on tobacco related disease now and into the future," Dr Angie Brown, Chairwoman of ASH Ireland said.

Criminal or dissident political groups could also use profits from tobacco smuggling to fund criminal activity, she said.

The seizure highlighted the fact the Ireland is being targeted by major criminals for tobacco smuggling, Ash Ireland said.

She urged the Government to increase penalties for those involved in tobacco smuggling because Ireland was considered a safe jurisdiction for smugglers due to soft penalties.

She described the concern expressed by the tobacco industry as a “cynical feature” of the current tobacco smuggling debate.

“The tobacco industry is ruthlessly about profit and selling as many cigarettes to as many people as possible in as many jurisdictions as possible,” she said

She pointed to cases in Canada and Hong Kong where the tobacco industry has been convicted of smuggling.

Almost a quarter of cigaettes smoked in Ireland have no duty paid on them due to smuggling or people returning from countries where cigarettes are cheaper the organisation has said.