Smoke out the ciggie producers

FORTY tonnes of tobacco and 25 million branded cigarettes have been seized.

Eleven Eastern European men were arrested in the joint Revenue and Garda blitz in Louth while the operation was in full production, churning out 250,000 ciggies an hour.

What was seized by officers would have cost the state €12million in lost taxes.

It was the first time an illegal, commercial cigarette production plant has been uncovered in Ireland.

The sheer number of cigarettes being produced shows the massive demand – despite the obvious health risks.

With the current average price of a packet of fags in the shops costing around €13 it’s easy to see why some people turn to the black market to buy their for a fraction of the cost.

If the Government is ever going to combat this problem it will firstly have to look at reducing the huge taxes placed on cigarettes.

The appeal for anyone who has little or no money who smokes is to buy the cheapest packet of fags and that’s from the black market dealers.

The Government must now ask if the €12million it could have earned in revenue is better in the pockets of the State or the gangs.

Drastic changes are needed if this problem is going to be stopped. Otherwise it could be a case of more people in time turning to the black market.