Tobacco.org

• Proper deterrent missing in black market tobacco battle  

THE STATE imposed fines of €250,000 arising from illegal tobacco sales and smuggling last year, according to Revenue figures.

The annual loss to the exchequer from black market cigarettes is about 1,000 times the amount imposed in fines.

In 2011 a total of 102 convictions for cigarette smuggling led to €136,300 in fines and 31 custodial sentences, 21 of which were suspended. The longest of the 10 sentences which were served was 12 months.

A total of 57 convictions relating to the illegal sale of cigarettes resulted in €115,850 in fines and 14 custodial sentences, seven of which were served, the longest of which was three years, with one year suspended.

Benny Gilsenan of Retailers Against Smuggling, a retailers’ organisation which has 3,000 members across Ireland, said the level of convictions relating to illegal tobacco was “not nearly adequate enough” given that the Revenue Commissioners estimate that the cost to the exchequer in lost revenue through counterfeit cigarette sales stood at €250 million in 2010.

“Considering the level of illegal cigarettes that are being sold throughout the country that is a very small proportion of those who are being caught and fined,” Mr Gilsenan said.

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Series of illegal tobacco seizures in Cork 

More than €82,000 worth of cigarettes have been found after six seperate seizures in Cork recently.

The discoveries were made by gardaí and Customs officials in houses in the City as well as at Cork Airport over the last week.

This afternoon, officers at Cork Airport seized 14,340 cigarettes from a 33-year-old Romanian man who had arrived on a flight from Paris.

The 'L&M ' and 'Monte Carlo' brand cigarettes had a retail value of €6,130 and an estimated loss to the Exchequer of €4,000.

In a further operation today , officers seized 9,500 cigarettes and 3kgs of Samson tobacco at a private dwelling in Carrigaline.

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Series of illegal tobacco seizures in Cork 

More than €82,000 worth of cigarettes have been found after six seperate seizures in Cork recently.

The discoveries were made by gardaí and Customs officials in houses in the City as well as at Cork Airport over the last week.

This afternoon, officers at Cork Airport seized 14,340 cigarettes from a 33-year-old Romanian man who had arrived on a flight from Paris.

The 'L&M ' and 'Monte Carlo' brand cigarettes had a retail value of €6,130 and an estimated loss to the Exchequer of €4,000.

In a further operation today , officers seized 9,500 cigarettes and 3kgs of Samson tobacco at a private dwelling in Carrigaline.

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More than 125,000 cigarettes seized in Cork  

CUSTOMS OFFICERS HAVE seized more than 125,000 cigarettes and a large quantity of tobacco in a series of raids across Cork.

The raids yielded illicit tobacco products worth a total of more than €80,000.

In the largest seizure, gardaí and Revenue officials raided a home on the north side of Cork city on Thursday evening. They discovered 80,000 smuggled Richman cigarettes and 75kg of Samson tobacco concealed under a load of kindling.

The Revenue Service said this represented a potential loss of €42,000 in taxes to the Exchequer. A car and a commercial vehicle were impounded at the scene.

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Phone link over €300k cigs raid  

The trial of a man accused of robbing over €300,000 worth of cigarettes has heard of missed calls between a phone in the defendant's car and one in the stolen van the cigarettes were found in. . . .

Forensic scientist Dr Stephen Doak told the court he examined five mobile phones found in the vehicles. He said one of the mobiles in Cunningham's car was linked to one of the mobiles in the stolen van. The trial continues.

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Stricter smoking rules after fire death in home 

THE death of a man with intellectual problems who accidentally set himself on fire will mean new safety procedures are introduced to hospitals and care facilities.

Percy Ryan (68) died 16 days after he accidentally set his trousers alight. He was in a special smoking hut in a Health Service Executive-run care facility in Limerick at the time.

Mr Ryan, who had only been in the home for seven months, died after he sustained serious burns to 30pc of his body.

Immediately after nurses used a fire extinguisher, wet towels and basins of water to put out his blazing trousers, he told them: "I will never smoke again."

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Smoker's clothes caught fire  

A MAN suffered extensive burns last year after his clothes went on fire in the smoking area of a HSE -run psychiatric facility in Limerick, an inquest has heard.

Percy Ryan (68), Knockballyfookeen, Pallasgreen, Co Limerick, went into the smoking hut at O'Connell House, Newcastle West, on July 22nd, 2011. At 2.10pm, nursing staff heard shouts coming from the hut and found Mr Ryan, who was a smoker, on fire.

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Smoking banned at Mayo General Hospital entrance as part of commitment to make it a smoke-free campus 

As part of Mayo General Hospital’s commitment to become a smoke-free campus in 2012, smoking will no longer be permitted at the hospital entrance, the emergency department entrance and entrance to the 1930s building.

These locations will be marked with a blue line and there will be signs in place to remind visitors and patients that smoking is not permitted. This is part of the HSE plan to implement a Tobacco Free Campus policy in all HSE settings by the end of 2015.

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Cigarette smuggling 'costing jobs' 

At least 700 jobs were lost in the Irish retail sector last year because of the black market trade in illegal cigarettes, the Oireachtas Committee on Finance heard today.

Benny Gilsenan of Retailers Against Smuggling, a retailers' organisation which has 3,000 members across Ireland, said retailers were competing against illegal black market cigarette sales which, at €3.20 a pack cost almost a third of what retailers were legitimately charging.

The group said that about €420 million was lost excise duty and revenue to the State in 2010 while retailers lost out on €575 million in revenue due to illegal cigarette sales in the same time period.

"To us as retailers who are working seven days a week trying to keep the doors open that's a phenomenal amount of money," Mr Gilsenan said.

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• Cigarette smuggling costing state €420m  

Cigarette smuggling, and subsequent sale of illegal cigarettes, is a major problem which is costing the State €420m in lost excise duty.

Cigarette smuggling, and subsequent sale of illegal cigarettes, is a major problem which is costing the State €420m in lost excise duty, say representatives from Retailers Against Smuggling.

Speaking at an Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, William Hanley added that thousands of retailers are affected by this problem, and 700 jobs were lost as a result of the loss of cigarettes sales.

He said one in every four cigarettes consumed in Ireland has no duty paid on it.

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Anti-smuggling lobby to brief Oireachtas Committee on illegal cigarette trade 

REPRESENTATIVES OF AN anti-smuggling lobby are to meet the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform tomorrow to discuss the illegal cigarette trade.

The group Retailers Against Smuggling was set up three years ago to tackle illegal cigarette smuggling. It has almost 3,000 retail members around the country.

Committee chairperson Alex White said the group would have the opportunity to provide the committee with details of black market cigarette trading "from their point of view" and to suggest possible solutions to the problem.

Last year the Revenue's Customs Service carried out 10,570 individual seizures of cigarettes and 1,499 of tobacco around the country.

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Judgment reserved on interpretation of tobacco rewards 

The High Court has reserved judgment on whether a district court judge was correct in her interpretation of the law when she dismissed a prosecution against tobacco manufacturer PJ Carroll for giving vouchers to shop staff as a reward for promoting its cigarette products.

The company denied charges brought by the HSE of giving or causing to give financial assistance to the Spar retailer in Dublin City University, and to one of its shop assistants, on an unknown date between Jul 1 and Sept 31, 2009, in consideration of the promotion of a tobacco product.

On Jul 1, 2009, all advertising of tobacco products was banned in retail shops. Sponsorship of tobacco products is also banned.

Called the Pocket a Packet scheme, shop staff and owners were motivated to promote Pall Mall cigarettes under a "mystery shopper" scheme operated by PJ Carroll Ltd, it was alleged.

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• Court to rule on tobacco reward scheme  

THE HIGH Court has been asked to decide whether a prosecution under the Tobacco Acts was correctly dismissed against tobacco manufacturer PJ Carroll for giving vouchers to shop staff as a reward for promoting its tobacco products.

President of the High Court Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns has reserved judgment on legal issues which arose in the District Court prosecution.

The company had denied charges by the Health Service Executive of giving, or causing to give, "financial assistance" to Spar in Dublin City University and one of its shop assistants, on a date unknown between July 1st and September 31st, 2009, in consideration of the promotion of a tobacco product.

The case arose after all advertising of tobacco products was banned in shops in Ireland in July 2009, with tobacco products now stored in closed contained units.

In District Court proceedings against PJ Carroll Ltd, the HSE alleged that, under the company's Pocket a Packet scheme, shop staff and owners were motivated to promote Pall Mall cigarettes under a "mystery shopper" scheme.

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HSE to ban smoking in all its hospital grounds 

THE GROUNDS of every hospital and institution run by the Health Service Executive will be smoke-free by 2015. More than a third of hospitals, including some of the biggest in the State, will ban smoking on their grounds this year, according to the HSE's national service plan published last week.

Already St Vincent's Hospital, the Mater, Cork University Hospital and James Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, the first to implement the new guidelines, have become completely smoke-free anywhere on their campuses.

On Ash Wednesday Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Our Lady's Hospital in Navan, Waterford Regional Hospital and Galway University Hospital will follow suit.

The Mercy Hospital in Cork, Naas General Hospital, Kerry General Hospital and St James's Hospital in Dublin are among the other hospitals which will go smoke-free this year.

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Defendant had cigarettes for sale at market  

A MAN who was in possession of cigarettes for sale at Balbriggan Market was further remanded on continuing bail at last week's sitting of Balbriggan District Court. Richard Smyth of Drive 2, Muirhevnamore in Dundalk is charged with the sale of 15 cartons of Superking cigarettes and 14 cartons of Rothmans cigarettes at the market on the Naul Road, Balbriggan on November 6th with a loss of revenue to the State of €5,000.

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