Tobacco fraud media strategy

Jonathan Hall, HM Revenue & Customs press office

Objectives

• Increase awareness of the loss to the Exchequer and thereby to

public services of the illicit tobacco trade

• Increase awareness that the Government takes strong, effective

action against those who sell illicit tobacco products

• Raise awareness and understanding of risks involved with illicit

tobacco products

• Encourage public and businesses to pass on information on the

illicit market

Key messages:

• Illicit tobacco products mean that £2.1bn in tax is lost every year. Money that

could be spent on public services such as the NHS, Police or Education.

• Our nationwide network of inland enforcement teams tackle the supply of illicit

tobacco products in our communities, and we pursue and prosecute businesses

or individuals involved in selling illicit tobacco products. Since 2000 we have

broken up more than 370 criminal gangs and prosecuted more than 3,000 people.

• HMRC’s strategy of pursuing those involved in illicit tobacco products has

slashed the criminal market since 2000 from 21 per cent to 12 per cent in 2007/08.

• This is organised crime.

Target audience:• Consumers on the demand side (the deliberately non-compliant, the

unaware and those conforming).

• Supply side participants such as retailers ‘selling under the counter’,

hauliers, pub landlords allowing the sale on their premises, takeaways,

individuals selling to “friends”.

• Enforcement participants who are involved in combating illicit tobacco:

UKBA, Trading Standards, Police.

• Intermediaries who have an interest in addressing illicit tobacco:

legitimate retailers, local NHS stop smoking services, educational

sector, employers who can discourage the sale of illicit tobacco on their

premises.

Approach:

• UK Border Agency, Department of Health, Trading Standards

• Publicise prosecutions

• Sign EU anti-tobacco smuggling agreements with manufacturers

• Regional enforcement teams

• Statistics

Risks

• Difficult economic circumstances

• People may consider it more acceptable to buy illicit tobacco products

• Unaware that they might be buying counterfeit.

Operation Domic Dedans

56 years for illegal vodka gang

Six members of a gang who used high-tech equipment to turn out 24 fake bottles of vodka a minute were jailed for more than 56 years following a complex international investigation by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).