Sigarettensmokkel Ierland hoger dan ooit
De smokkel van sigaretten naar Ierland is gigantisch toegenomen. In de laatste 2 jaar is de hoeveelheid in beslag genomen illegale tabak in Ierland met 240% gestegen. De harde lijn tegen rokers van de Ierse overheid lijkt dus zijn effect te hebben.
De smokkel vindt vooral plaats vanuit de Baltische staten en Polen. Misdaadbendes organiseren zogenaamde ‘mierensmokkel’: koeriers smokkelen kleine hoeveelheden sigaretten vanuit de nieuwe EU-staten naar het land waar er torenhoge winsten op worden gemaakt.
The trade is dominated by “highly organised and sophisticated” criminals gangs from the Baltic countries of Lithuania and Latvia and Eastern European states such as Poland.
The explosion in smuggling has occurred in parallel to the entry of 10 new states joining the EU in May 2004 and the immigration into Ireland of large populations from the Baltic and Eastern Europe.
Figures compiled by Customs show that the number of cigarette seizures spiralled from 3,969 in 2004 to 13,423 in 2005 and to 15,497 by December 2006.
Ms O’Neill said that, on average, around two million cigarettes were being smuggled every month through Dublin Airport in passenger baggage.
She said some of the couriers are travelling in and out of the country as often as three times a week.
