Tobacco.org

Officers seize 250,000 cigarettes at Newcastle airport 

UK Border Agency officers at Newcastle Airport have intercepted more than a quarter of a million cigarettes that were being smuggled into the region.

The cigarettes were found on four separate flights from the Canary Islands in the past seven days.

Almost 70kg (154lbs) of hand rolling tobacco was also intercepted.

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• Bars in the Canary Islands to protest about the blanket smoking ban 

Canary Island bars have chosen March 9 in which to stage their protest against the smoking ban by closing down for the day.

The Federación Canaria del Ocio (Fecao: Canary Leisure Industry Federation) are hoping that other business will join in support.

This day is of particular significance as it falls on the Carnival day of the Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine) which will affect thousands of Carnival spectators.

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Fuman más las personas de nivel socio económico deprimido y hay más ex fumadores entre personas de nivel socio económico alto. 

30% of Spanish and start smoking at age 13.

Canary snuff exported in 2007 worth over 100 million euros.

Major differences in the approach of smoking in the Autonomous Communities are focused on the financing of drug treatment of smoking. . . .

Although cigarette manufacturing is in recession in the Canary Islands due to the relocation, export resulting from this activity amounted to a total of 109.88 million euros.

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• Arrested for selling false cigarettes mixed with bunny scat 

The Guardia Civil in Tenerife have arrested 12 men who formed an organized gang who smuggled fake cigarettes into the Canary Islands. The cigarettes, made in China, were found to contain a high proportion of rabbit excrement which padded out the tobacco. The cigarettes were sold in bars and shops mainly in the south of the island.

Operaci�n Chester is the largest counterfeit tobacco operation this year in Spain. One and a half million packets of false cigarettes with a street value of almost five million euros were seized. It is not known how many false packets have been sold but the value is expected to be millions of euros.

The operation started after the Guardia Civil started to receive a series of complaints from smokers about "terrible" cigarettes. . . .

The false cigarettes were made in China before being shipped to Spain via the UAE. Apart from the rabbit excrement, they also contained dangerously high levels of nicotine, CO2 and heavy metals.

Amongst the arrested was a corrupt customs officer who allowed the shipments into the Canary Islands.

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VIDEO: Ont. files $50-billion suit against tobacco groups 

Viewer

CTV News Video

CTV News Channel: Eric Gagnon, Imperial Tobacco

CTV Toronto Extended: Attorney General Chris Bentley . . .

The Ontario provincial government has filed a $50-billion lawsuit against a group of tobacco companies to seek compensation for what it says are past and future costs associated with tobacco uses.

"This represents the health care costs borne by Ontario taxpayers since 1955," the ministry of the attorney general said Tuesday in a news release that explained where the $50 billion figure came from.

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• Airing out the car won't remove smoking hazards 

Even when smokers roll down windows and flip on fans, they expose car passengers to hazardous levels of second-hand smoke, says a new Canadian study that buttresses efforts to ban smoking in automobiles with children.

University of Waterloo researchers found that levels of second-hand smoke in vehicles with the windows up exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines by up to 100 times in just 20 minutes of burning a cigarette. When drivers lowered windows halfway, the plume still surpassed EPA limits for 24-hour fine-particle exposure by six times.

The principal researchers, Taryn Sendzik and Geoffrey Fong, were astounded by their own findings, contained in a report by the provincial Ministry of Health's Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. . . .

"We tell all our members not to smoke in the presence of kids, in cars, in homes, ever," said Arminda Mota, president of MyChoice.ca, a smokers' advocacy group funded by Imperial Tobacco. "These health zealots - what's next, are they going to ban adults from giving junk food to kids? Are they going to come to our houses and see how you cook your meals? While they're there they might as well come to your bedroom and check out how you do it. Is this a free country?"

Mr. Cunningham dismissed that line of reasoning. "For 40 years, the slippery-slope argument has been used against every tobacco measure," he said.

"That's to be expected. It's pretty hard to argue that children should be exposed to poison."

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Cigarette smoker foiled again  

An 18-year-old holidaymaker who flew out of Tenerife with 16,600 cigarettes in her suitcase was arrested for attempted smuggling shortly after her arrival at East Midlands airport on February 11.

Rebecca Berry had already been stopped for trying to slip through customs with large quantities of cigarettes on two previous occasions at two other airports. She now faces a nighttime curfew which requires her to stay at home from 8 pm to 8 am for six months. A spokesman for Revenue and Customs at East Midlands told the press: "We hope this sends a clear message to those involved in cigarette smuggling

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THE ONLY CLOUD I SPOTTED WAS NICOTINE-STAINED 

TALK about impeccable timing? Scotland's eagerly-awaited public smoking ban came into effect at the start of last week - just as I was boarding a plane bound for the smoking capital of Europe.

Yes, folks, welcome to Tenerife where it's just over a quid for a packet of 20 Embassy Regal.

At those prices, just about everyone on the island puffs away like a laboratory beagle (unable to resist a bargain, I almost thought about taking up the filthy habit myself) and I'm sure the only cloud we spotted all week was nicotine-stained.

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Smoking ban puts Royal Ottawa in awkward spot 

The province's new ban on smoking exempts psychiatric hospitals. But as Patrick Dare reports, many in the medical community are uncomfortable fighting for their patients' right to smoke.

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UPDATE 1-UK tobacco firm Gallaher buys into Canary Islands 

British tobacco firm Gallaher Group Plc (GLH.L) has agreed to buy a group of companies for 85 million euros ($104 million) cash to strengthen its position in the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal.

Gallaher, whose UK cigarette brands include Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut and Mayfair, said on Thursday it was buying Cita Tabacos de Canarias and its group of companies from joint owners Altadis SA (ALT.MC) and Agrupacion Tabaquera Insular Canaria.

It will also assume 20 million euros of Cita's debt.

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Gallaher in talks to acquire Cita ($$) 

Gallaher, the UK cigarette group behind the Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut brands, is believed to be in talks to acquire Cita, the joint venture between Altadis the Franco-Spanish cigarette company and the Canary Islands' Zamorano family.

Gallaher has been regularly linked with Cita and is now thought to be weeks from signing an agreement.

While Cita accounts for about 3 per cent of the Spanish cigarette market, its location on the Canary Islands, a popular destination for UK tourists, is believed to be one of the reasons why it is attractive to Gallaher.

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Gallaher ends talks to buy 50 pct of Canary Islands tobacco co 

Gallaher Group PLC has ended talks to acquire 50 pct of Canary Islands tobacco manufacturer Cita from the Zamorano family, Expansion reported, citing unnamed sector sources.

Expansion cited the sources as saying that Gallaher decided to break off negotiations after carrying out due diligence on Cita, in which Altadis SA holds the remaining 50 pct.

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Gallaher in talks with Cita 

B&H and Silk Cut maker Gallaher is in talks to buy a controlling stake in the Canary Islands tobacco group Cita, according to reports in Spain.

It is said to be discussing a deal with the Zamorano family for its 50% holding

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Customs seize 227,000 cigarettes from Gloucester smugglers at Bristol Airport 

Officers from one of Customs new flexible mobile teams have seized 227,000 cigarettes from a group of Gloucester passengers returning to the UK from the Canary Islands.

The group of eight people arrived at Bristol Airport last night, at around midnight, on a flight from Tenerife. The group were stopped as they passed through Customs. Their baggage was searched and officers recovered a total of 227,000 cigarettes. All of the cigarettes were confiscated. On average each person was carrying 175 cartons of 200 cigarettes.

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Customs warning nets 150,000 cigarettes 

Passengers arriving at Teesside Airport from Tenerife in the last 48 hours have been greeted by a public address announcement from Customs and Excise outlining the tobacco and alcohol allowances from the Canary Islands and inviting travellers who are carrying more to deposit the excess in bins provided at the Customs green channel.

As a result of this exercise, Customs Officers from the regional strike force and local anti-smuggling staff have netted 157,000 cigarettes with a retail value of 35,000.

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