Biomech Posted February 10, 2014 Report Posted February 10, 2014 Every year, first quarter, these shops get raided, found to be in possession of countless articles of illegal imports etc. They then either get a fine or shut down and then open up again under someone elses name from the group. We know who they are even if the HT are censoring that part of the information and, surprise surprise, disabling comments again. www.herefordtimes.com/news/10995390.Call_to_shut_shops_over_county_s_illegal_tobacco_trade/
Roger Posted February 10, 2014 Report Posted February 10, 2014 I don't know of the HT censorship you allude to. My perception is the tobacco is 50g packets that are legit content but smuggled. So basically 8.8 euro tobacco is being sold for about £7.50 locally... Very small mark up for the shop (unless they purchased at a discount abroad) but a large loss to the treasury in tax. I know all the shops that sell this stuff and I don't even make an effort to find the info out! Hereford is very small! Whey Hey!
dippyhippy Posted March 12, 2014 Report Posted March 12, 2014 Interesting piece in this weeks Journal, penned by Our Jesse Norman. "Just as worrying is the increasing tide of illicit tobacco that is finding its way into Hereford. In the last 12 months, trading standards officers and West Mercia Police have seized more than 189,000 cigarettes and over 16kg of illicit tobacco from shops in Herefordshire. But often cheap cigarettes are not just smuggled goods, but fake, and they can be especially dangerous......And the same people who don't care or turn a blind eye as to what is in the tobacco often don't care how old the people who buy it are.....one of the key obstacles that trading standards officers and the police face in seeking to control this problem, is that they are not able to shut down the shops which persistently sell this illicit tobacco." For once, I absolutely agree with you Jesse! The full article appears on page 6!
Roger Posted March 12, 2014 Report Posted March 12, 2014 Interesting piece in this weeks Journal, penned by Our Jesse Norman. "Just as worrying is the increasing tide of illicit tobacco that is finding its way into Hereford. In the last 12 months, trading standards officers and West Mercia Police have seized more than 189,000 cigarettes and over 16kg of illicit tobacco from shops in Herefordshire. But often cheap cigarettes are not just smuggled goods, but fake, and they can be especially dangerous......And the same people who don't care or turn a blind eye as to what is in the tobacco often don't care how old the people who buy it are.....one of the key obstacles that trading standards officers and the police face in seeking to control this problem, is that they are not able to shut down the shops which persistently sell this illicit tobacco." For once, I absolutely agree with you Jesse! The full article appears on page 6! This is a pet subject for Jesse Norman MP. He raised it on 27th March 2012 when he said: 'In the past 18 months, some 360,000 cigarettes have been seized in Herefordshire alone.' ~ which averages out at 20,000 seizures a month up to March 2012. The last 12 months averages out at 15,750 per month so either the trade is decreasing, there are not as many raids, or the shops are getting a little more cute ... link below for his 2012 contribution: Westminster Hall debate on illegal alcohol and tobacco sales, 27 March 2012
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