‘Alarming new trend’ in Malaysia’s contraband cigarette saga

Counterfeit versions of local cigarette brands are being sold nationwide in Malaysia at half the market price, according to a story by Eileen Ng for The Star and Asian News Network.

The counterfeits sell for between RM2.50 and RM5.00 for a pack of 20, far below the minimum price of RM7.00.

In describing the counterfeits as an ‘alarming new trend’, the Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers (CMTM) said these cigarettes bore fake security markings and false manufacturers’ addresses.

This “new illegal segment” made up 4.2 per cent of the current 34.9 per cent of illicit cigarettes sold in the country, CMTM chief executive, Shahrul Azamin Abdullah, said at a press conference called to unveil the federation’s latest Illicit Cigarettes Study.

The study, conducted from June to August, showed an increase of 0.2 of a percentage point in contraband cigarettes being sold inMalaysia, from 34.7 per cent during the March-May period, to 34.9 per cent from June to August.

However, on a year-on-year basis, contraband sales fell by 1.4 percentage points, something Shahrul attributed to the efforts of various enforcement agencies.