Half of smokers buy fake cigarettes - which could contain 'mould and rat droppings'
More than half of smokers in Staffordshire admit they have bought fake cigarettes despite warnings that some could contain asbestos, mould and rat droppings.
According to a survey of 450 smokers across the county, 55 per cent said they had bought fake cigarettes.
It found that almost 60 per cent of smokers in Staffordshire had been offered illegal tobacco in the last 12 months and that most had not, or would not, report it.
Some 43 per cent had bought cigarettes with foreign language health warnings on the pack.
The investigation, by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), compares the £3.50 typical price of a packet of illegal cigarettes with about £8 for the genuine product, while a 50g pack of illegal roll-your-own tobacco is either £4 or £4.50, as opposed to £21 for the real thing.
Criminals
More than a quarter of a million counterfeit cigarettes and 56kg of tobacco with street value of around £150,000 was seized in Staffordshire in 2016-17 by the county council’s trading standards team.
In one of the latest raids, in December, a shop in Rugeley was among three in Staffordshire targeted as part of an intelligence-led operation.
In total, 33,000 illicit cigarettes, more than 8kg of tobacco, 13 litres of suspected non-duty paid vodka and around £1,000 cash was discovered.
The concerns outlined in the survey findings have been shared by Staffordshire County Council’s communities leader Gill Heath who said: “In Staffordshire we have an ongoing operation to stamp out the sale of illicit tobacco and we have had some notable successes across the county.
“While all tobacco seriously damages peoples’ health, illicit tobacco can undermine smoking cessation efforts as it is usually sold at a much cheaper price.
“The availability of cheap cigarettes makes it harder for smokers to quit and remain smoke free. One of our main focuses is on preventing young people from starting to smoke. Illicit tobacco creates a cheap and sometime more easily obtainable source for children and young people and this is why our operation to stop its sale is so important.
“Counterfeit sales also damage businesses and can fund criminal gangs.’’
