Cigarette seizure highlights how anti-smoking policies are vulnerable to criminality

More investment in enforcement needed, says Irish Cancer Society

The Irish Cancer Society has welcomed the announcement by Revenue and Customs that 38 million cigarettes were found at Dublin Port yesterday, worth an estimated €14.7 million.

The Irish Cancer Society said that the size of the seizure clearly shows that Ireland is being targeted by criminals who see opportunities created by the recession and that the high rate of smuggling in Ireland is eroding anti-smoking achievements.

Head of Advocacy and Communications at the Irish Cancer Society, Kathleen O’Meara, says: “While there is much discussion about the potential loss of revenue from a seizure like this, there has been no mention of the public health effects of tobacco and the burden it places on society. Controlling tobacco use is not just the job of the Department of Health. Reducing the number of people who smoke needs to be a priority for all Government Departments but without investment in the enforcement agencies who are policing our borders and working in our communities, we cannot expect to achieve this goal. Smuggling needs to be stopped not just because illegal tobacco reduces the Department of Finance’s revenue base but because of the massive public health threat posed by smoking.”

The Irish Cancer Society has regularly called for a comprehensive National Anti-Smuggling Strategy that increases expenditure on anti-smuggling operations by around €8 million per year. This spend would be equivalent to what the UK spends on these activities per head of the population. Achieving the same percentage drop in the size of the illicit tobacco market which the UK achieved (a 9% drop) would reduce the size of the illicit tobacco market here to 5% of the total market, bringing in around €130 million of extra revenue to the Exchequer. Thus, increased investment in anti-smuggling operations would pay for itself many times over and could be reinvested in public health initiatives aimed at reducing the number of people who smoke in Ireland.

The Revenue Commissioners, Irish Customs Service and other agencies including the Naval Service and the Gardaí, play a fundamental role in the seizure and of contraband cigarettes and tobacco in Ireland. Their work is essential in reducing the smuggling of contraband, which has serious implications, not only to the exchequer but also to public health. However, these law enforcement bodies are under significant staffing pressures and increasing workloads. For example, the Revenue Commissioners have reduced their staff numbers from 6,581 in January 2009 to 5,962 in January 2012 (ref: www.revenue.ie/en/about/publications/revised-action-plan-2012.pdf )

Tobacco smuggling has become one of the most profitable forms of organised crime and is also a critical business for criminal gangs. A key issue in relation to the level of tobacco smuggling is the quality of the enforcement and the opportunity for criminal activity.