Illicit tobacco trade surges across Europe as high taxes feed black markets
Countries with the highest taxes and strictest regulations are suffering the most severe black-market problems.
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Popular articles tagged "illicit trade"
Illicit cigarette trade starting to resemble drug trade, with weapons and turf wars
Europe’s booming illicit tobacco trade, with nearly half of all cigarettes sold in several countries now coming from illegal sources, is deeply intertwined with…
Half of e-cigarettes in Europe are illegal and almost all come from China
Almost half of all e-cigarettes sold in Europe originate from irregular sources, with China supplying 90 per cent of these unregulated products, according to a study…
Italian police roll up massive illegal tobacco factory
In a significant blow to organised crime and illicit trade, Italy's financial police has uncovered one of Europe’s largest illegal cigarette production plants.
France is becoming the Sinaloa drug cartel’s ‘new Mexico’
Last month saw police raids in France and Belgium meant to crack down on Europe’s vast illegal drug problem.
‘Strict anti-tobacco legislation has backfired,’ KPMG study indicates
European countries have been struggling with illicit tobacco trade but their own policies were making matters worse, a study has shown.
Chinese ‘Triad couple’ shot dead in Rome amid suspected mafia gang feud
A suspected Chinese Triad member and his girlfriend have been killed in Rome, marking what investigators said they believed was the first professional hit on Chinese…
Calls for Bulgarian minister to resign for allegedly ‘turning blind eye’ to €6m smuggling ring
Bulgaria’s interior minister faced calls to resign after WhatsApp messages revealed officials had allegedly turned a blind eye to a €6 million smuggling operation…
‘EC tobacco policies will only boost illicit trade,’ expert warns
Government policies on tobacco and nicotine products promoted by the European Commission are inadvertently fuelling the illicit trade, an expert has warned
Italy plans to restrict nascent ‘cannabis light’ industry
Italy's "cannabis light" industry risks being uprooted this year by Giorgia Meloni's coalition.
Antwerp diamond trade ‘faces collapse’
The centuries-old diamond trade in Antwerp is facing a severe crisis, with local traders having expressed fears that the industry could soon vanish altogether.
German State can spy on second-largest political party AfD, court rules
German authorities are legally allowed to keep spying on the country's second-largest political party, a court has ruled.