British fake cigarettes were found to contain mites, hair, and feces

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] According to the British "Daily Star" reported on the 4th, British smokers, which are currently soaring in British prices, buy a large number of cheap fake or smuggling smokes on the black market. A recent report released by the International Tobacco Giant Philip Morris shows that nearly 1/5 cigarettes on the British market are smuggling or fakes, and this proportion in some areas is even close to 1/3. Last year, British fake cigarette sales increased by 30 %, exceeding 3 billion yuan for the first time. Olyli, an ex -police officer of a consultant to tobacco companies, disclosed that the profit of smuggling tobacco or fake tobacco to the UK can reach about 1.5 million pounds, which has also made many criminal gangs tired.

Previously, the main source of fake cigarettes on the British market was Belarus. After the outbreak of the Russian and Ukraine conflict, the production of fake cigarettes in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg began to increase. Olery pointed out that various impurities were frequently detected in fake cigarettes, including mites, fungi, hair, etc. Some fake cigarettes were even detected to contain feces. In the 2019 survey data, the smoking rate for adults over 18 years of age reached 14.1%, of which adult men's smoking rate was 15.9%, and adult female smoking rates were 12.5%.

- END -