Passengers at five of the UK’s leading airports and its largest ferry port are being presented with visual reminders about the consequences of bringing back tobacco with the intention of selling it illegally.
In a press note issued on Friday, the UK Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA), said that it had funded an ‘advertising’ campaign ‘to raise passenger awareness that reselling tobacco purchased abroad is illegal’.
‘The campaign ads have been strategically placed in the departure areas of the airports and feature a young man being questioned by the authorities about illegal tobacco. The caption reads: “Planning to bring tobacco into the UK? Don’t sell it on, it’s illegal”.’
The TMA said that tobacco smuggling brought criminality into communities across the UK and cost the UK taxpayer an estimated £2.1 billion a year, or £6 million a day.
Those caught selling in the UK tobacco that had been bought abroad could face penalties of up to seven years in jail.
‘Research has shown that some passengers do not know how much tobacco they can bring back into the UK or that selling tobacco bought overseas in the UK is illegal,’ the TMA said.
‘While tobacco duties and retail prices are generally lower in the majority of overseas destinations, they are much lower in some countries, like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. ‘There a pack of 20 premium cigarettes typically costs less than £3.00, compared to more than £9.00 in the UK.’
The five airports that are featuring (for four weeks from July 25) the 2016 campaign are: London Heathrow Terminal 5, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Cardiff. In addition, the campaign is being run for the first time at Dover Ferry Terminal.
“As people head abroad for their summer holidays, we are taking this opportunity to remind them with this new campaign that it is illegal to bring back tobacco from overseas and then sell it on in the UK,” said Giles Roca, director general of the TMA.
“Reselling tobacco bought overseas is not a victimless crime. This practice affects many hard-working independent shopkeepers who are deprived of legitimate tobacco sales and related footfall.
“This year we are also extending the reach of the campaign to include those leaving by ferry by covering the country’s busiest port at Dover. Our advice is simple; don’t be tempted.”
The TMA describes itself as the trade association for the UK’s tobacco industry. Its members are British American Tobacco UK Ltd, Gallaher Ltd (a member of the JTI Group of companies) and Imperial Tobacco Ltd.