INTERPOL to Benefit From Tobacco Donation

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 06/25/2012

Philip Morris International said today that it would contribute ￡15 million to INTERPOL to support the agency's global initiative to combat trans-border crime involving illicit goods, including tobacco products. "Counterfeit and contraband cigarettes present a debilitating problem for business and government alike and so we are delighted to announce our support of INTERPOL's global efforts to combat illegal trafficking," said PMI chairman and CEO, Louis Camilleri, In a note posted on its website, PMI said that the global consumption of illicit cigarettes was estimated at 600 billion a year and that cigarettes represent the world's most trafficked consumer product. And it warned that the problem was getting worse. Referring to the report of study issued yesterday, the company said that KPMG LLP (KPMG) had estimated that the annual consumption of illicit cigarettes in the EU had increased by 1.1 billion in 2011 from that of 2010, to a record total of 65.3 billion. KPMG had estimated, too, that the associated national and EU revenue loss was about ￡11.3 billion. This illegal trade damaged not just the tobacco sector but also fueled further criminality with proceeds being used to fund other activities such as drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. "The eradication of illicit cigarettes and the criminality associated with it requires a concerted and co-ordinated cross-border effort which INTERPOL is ideally placed to lead," said Artyom Chernis, PMI vice president for illicit trade strategies and prevention. "We look forward to our co-operation and the positive results we are confident it will yield." PMI said that its contribution to INTERPOL's Fund for A Safer World would be used for co-ordination of information gathering, training programs for law enforcement officials, development of product authentication standards and the execution of public information campaigns. Enditem