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  • PM India Fighting Illicit Trade with Intelligence

    PM India Fighting Illicit Trade with Intelligence

    Illicit cigarettes are not a new problem in India, but they are one that continues to grow, Navaneel Kar, managing director of Philip Morris India, told Statesman News Service. According to Euromonitor International, India is now the fourth-largest market for illegal cigarette consumption in the world after China, Brazil, and Pakistan. To get an idea of how big the problem is, Kar said PM India carried out a large intelligence-gathering exercise in 2025 that covered more than 3,000 shops across 10 states. By also engaging with more than 50 government stakeholders, the goal was not just observation but building reliable intelligence that could, in turn, support enforcement agencies and policy discussions.

    Public reports indicate enforcement agencies seized smuggled cigarettes worth about ₹600 crore ($7 billion) in FY25, with data from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence showing the North-East as the largest hub for seizures, followed by Maharashtra–Goa, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

    PM India said it is supporting the government’s rollout of a Track & Trace system for tobacco products, drawing on global experience from markets where digital tagging of cigarette packs is used to improve supply-chain visibility and curb illegal trade. The company also “supported capacity-building efforts for over 145 officers from customs and tax departments,” according to Stateman News Service.

  • 14 Newcastle Shops Closed for Illicit Tobacco

    14 Newcastle Shops Closed for Illicit Tobacco

    Authorities in Newcastle, England, have issued three-month closure notices to 14 West End shops since beginning a crackdown on illicit tobacco sales in December. The latest bust on Jan. 20 seized 4,350 illegal cigarettes (£74,000) and 370 pouches of rolling tobacco (£16,650). Three tobacco-sniffing dogs—Bran, Cooper, and Griff—have been integral to the operations, finding contraband hidden in chairs, stock boxes, and behind a fake wall, as well as discovering a “tab tube” that was used to move goods to the shop from an upstairs flat.

  • VPZ Announces UK Expansion Plans

    VPZ Announces UK Expansion Plans

    UK vape specialist retailer VPZ announced a multi-million-pound investment program to expand domestic manufacturing, strengthen supply-chain controls, and create hundreds of jobs across its retail and logistics network, according to Convenience Store. The plan includes adding a fifth production line at its UK facility, opening 40 new stores in 2026, and establishing a bonded warehouse at its Edinburgh headquarters to support compliance, enforcement, and preparation for the planned vape tax in October. VPZ said the investment is aimed at improving resilience, supporting regulatory requirements, and distinguishing compliant retailers from illegal operators amid record seizures of illicit vapes by authorities.

  • Bangladesh Bans Tobacco Sales Near Health Facilities

    Bangladesh Bans Tobacco Sales Near Health Facilities

    Bangladesh’s Health Ministry directed field-level health authorities to enforce a ban on the sale of tobacco products within 100 meters of hospitals, clinics, and other health facilities, and to ensure these areas remain tobacco-free under recently tightened anti-tobacco laws. The directive follows amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act that expanded the definition of tobacco products and increased penalties, raising fines for smoking or tobacco use in designated public places to Tk 2,000 ($16.40), while also requiring health facilities to display no-smoking signage.

  • Philippines Customs Busts Illegal Cigarette Factory

    Philippines Customs Busts Illegal Cigarette Factory

    The Philippines Bureau of Customs (BOC) shut down an alleged illegal cigarette manufacturing facility in Mexico, Pampanga, after authorities discovered locally made cigarettes branded “Two Moon,” cigarette-making machines, and materials linked to several brands during an operation in Barangay Panipuan. The BOC said similar brands were seized in a recent Batangas operation, suggesting a possible distribution network, while the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Immigration are verifying tax stamp compliance and the legal status of six Chinese nationals found at the site alongside 63 Filipinos. Customs officials are inventorying the seized items to assess duties, taxes, and potential violations.

  • FDA Posts New Materials in Zyn MRTP Applications

    FDA Posts New Materials in Zyn MRTP Applications

    The FDA posted new materials today (Feb. 2) related to the modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) applications submitted by Swedish Match USA, Inc. for 20 Zyn nicotine pouch products. The documents are available on the Swedish Match USA, Inc. MRTP application webpage. This is the final set of application materials.

    Accordingly, FDA is establishing the closing date for the public comment period on these MRTP applications. Public comments must be submitted to Docket Number FDA-2025-N-0835-0001 by 11:59 p.m. ET on March 4 to be considered. 

    Read the application materials here.

  • Philip Morris Egypt Updates Prices

    Philip Morris Egypt Updates Prices

    Philip Morris Egypt announced updated prices for its cigarette and heated tobacco products effective today (Feb. 2), saying some products increased compared with July 2025 prices, while others remained unchanged. Merit is now priced at EGP 111 ($2.33) per pack, Marlboro at EGP 102 ($2.14), L&M and TEREA at EGP 82 ($1.72), and HEETS holding at EGP 69 ($1.45). Philip Morris Egypt said the prices can be verified through QR codes on packaging and urged retailers to comply with the official list, marking the company’s first price adjustment of 2026.

  • Vietnamese Police Bust National Drug-Laced Vape Ring

    Vietnamese Police Bust National Drug-Laced Vape Ring

    Vietnamese police arrested 17 suspects for allegedly trafficking narcotics disguised as e-cigarettes and vaping products in an operation targeting a ring accused of selling drug-laced items to students nationwide. The Ministry of Public Security said the group used social media to market products falsely advertised as “non-addictive,” then shipped them via express delivery, with seizures including herbal drugs, CBD oil solutions, drug-containing liquids, and drug-laced cigarettes across multiple provinces. Authorities said forensic tests confirmed all seized products contained narcotics and warned that traffickers are increasingly disguising drugs as vaping and tobacco products, posing heightened risks to teenagers and young people.

  • Philippines Seeking Tougher Penalties for Cigarette Smuggling

    Philippines Seeking Tougher Penalties for Cigarette Smuggling

    A bill filed in the Philippine Congress seeks to impose stiffer penalties on illegal cigarette importation and smuggling by amending provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. House Bill 6965, or the proposed Anti-Illicit Cigarette Import Trade and Smuggling Act, would criminalize the importation, manufacture, sale, transport, storage, or possession of cigarettes without full payment of excise taxes or required tax stamps, with possession of unstamped cigarettes serving as prima facie evidence of a violation. The measure also proposes enhanced penalties for organized and large-scale smuggling operations, with its author, 1Tahanan party-list Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, citing the impact of illicit trade on government revenues, legitimate businesses, and public health.

  • KT&G Shares Surge as BlackRock Becomes Major Shareholder

    KT&G Shares Surge as BlackRock Becomes Major Shareholder

    BlackRock purchased 68,646 shares of South Korea’s KT&G today, according to The Korea Herlad, making it one of KT&G’s largest shareholders, behind IBK Industrial Bank of Korea and the National Pension Service. According to regulatory filings, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, now has total holdings in KT&G that top 5.91 million shares, or 5.01% of the tobacco and consumer goods company. Korean rules require investors crossing the 5% ownership threshold to disclose their positions to financial authorities and the Korea Exchange.

    KT&G shares rose after the disclosure, reaching an intraday record of 153,900 won ($106.19) and closing at an all-time high of 152,900 won ($105.50). The company is scheduled to report earnings on February 5, with market forecasts projecting annual sales of 6.53 trillion won ($4.5 billion), up 10.6% year over year, and operating profit of 1.37 trillion won ($945 million), an expected increase of 13.3%.