Terror Financing And The Black Market Cigarette Trade
In Pennsylvania last month, state representatives Russ Diamond and Rick Saccone challenged a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase (which was later passed into law), arguing that the price hike would regressively target poorer smokers and encourage black market sales. More critically, the two lawmakers pointed out that increased sales of smuggled tobacco would put more money in the pockets of violent extremists who wish to do Americans harm.
That argument raised eyebrows in the press, but the point made by Diamond and Saccone is a critically important one. A major 2015 report from the State Department identified tobacco smuggling as a major threat to national security, noting that selling illegal cigarettes is a relatively “low-risk, high reward” activity for criminal networks and terror groups, who often join forces to exploit the illicit trade.
Related Posts
Club Factory Is Selling Fake Products, Officially? Investigation Reveals Fake Watches, Shoes, Sun Glasses & More
It seems like the Chinese e-commerce company Club Factory is treading...
Police seize fake COVID kits in international trafficking crackdown
Police have seized 17,000 fake COVID-19 testing kits discovered in raids against...
Tata officials, Bengaluru police conduct raid to seize fake Tata products
Bengaluru, Dec 12 (UNI) Tata Steel officials, in collaboration with the Bengaluru...
UK sees surge in illegal cigarettes
Consumption of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes in the UK surged by almost...