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REVENUE HAS SEIZED a large cargo of cigarettes with a retail value of around €68,300.
The action took place last Friday and saw the cargo of 130,000 cigarettes stopped from entering the market.
The product had been imported from Greece and was hidden within a shipment described as “school goods”.
RGD cigarettes are manufactured in China and are generally not legally available on the Irish market.
It is estimated that the sale of the cigarettes would have resulted in a loss of €50,100 – assuming that they would have displaced the equivalent full tax paid on legitimate goods.
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I’m a smoker and I would love if the things were just banned completely. They cost me a fortune and every time I smoke I question my sanity.
The country would be in one hell of a bad mood for a few months, but we’d get over it…… eventually.
Mark, quitting smoking is very difficult at first but the end result is well worth it – better health, more energy and an improved sense of taste and smell. The list could go on and on. Try it, do not give up and you will succeed.
Mark prohibition of any substance doesn’t really work that well and only serves to increase revenue for criminal gangs, while I agree tobacco plays a horrible role in our society, prohibition is most definitely not the solution, we should learn the lessons from the damage that has been caused by the “war on drugs”.
I am a smoker and couldn’t agree with you more. I do enjoy smoking but I know I would be better off without them. If they did ban them I’m sure I would not be happy about that at first but in the long run of it, it would save me money and my health would improve
I agree prohibition has not been very successful in the past, but I feel it could work with cigarettes. The difference being that I don’t know of any smoker who wants to smoke.
Anyone I’ve spoken to, has said that if they had their time back, they would never have started.
If they were banned, I for one would not seek them out on a black market, and I reckon many other fellow slaves to the dreadful disgusting things would feel the same.
Mark the most damming indictment of prohibition is that it is easier for our children to by poor quality weed or MDMA, than it is alcohol or cigarettes, the black market is uncontrolled and unregulated, supply is most definitely not reduced on illegal substances and those selling them often don’t care who their demand is from.
Sean, I agree with everything you say, you make very good points. Let’s look at the two main “industries” currently being run by criminals in this country, Drugs and Prostitution.
Both of these offer a “high” be it simulated or otherwise. Some people WANT the sort of “highs” that come from these, as a result there will always be a market for them.
Most people do not WANT to smoke, they are addicted, there is no “high”.
People who smoke know that they are idiots, know that they are spending a fortune, ruining their health and shortening their lifespan.
Agreed it’s a case of “Supply and Demand”, I would just like to hope that the demand dwindles to a low that would make it an unattractive “industry” for criminal gangs.
It’s just my opinion, foolhardy as it may be.
Mark you are correct in how a lot of illegal substances our sought out because they offer “highs”, but if we are to analyse the case of cigarettes fully, we must look also at the addiction. While I would love to share your optimism regarding Ireland’s smokers kicking the habit if it was to become illegal, it would be hard to ignore the facts behind the addiction, unlike many of the highs legal and illegal in our world tobacco carries a physical addiction similar to that of opiates. What this means is unlike marijuana, mdma, many psychedelics, sex or even gambling, which can all in some cases result in habitual addictions, cigarette users will have to endure a physical withdrawal from the nicotine addiction, just like someone who has an opiate addiction. Now when we look at illegal gangs, they are sophisticated businesses let’s make no mistake about that, when they see the potential of a highly addictive widely used substance coming into their marketplace they will see opportunity, they will flood the market and cigarettes will be as widely available as many of the most common drugs on the streets today, and unfortunately this will only add an abundance of revenue to their coffers. While I would love to feel that a straight forward ban would eliminate use, I do think we would be foolish to think it would be so easy and we must always exercise extreme caution in taking any measure that may benefit the criminal elements of our society.
Or you could quit? We have will-power, no one makes you smoke. I don’t see why you need the government to step in.
At least they could say that they were copies.
And what will ‘the powers that be’ do with this haul, destroy it all……I doubt it, just like everything else they seize
The more you tax the bigger your black market in goods. I would say 130,000 is nothing compared to the numbers getting through. this a growing business maybe a small fine if caught or a short stay in prison if unlucky. it is truly ironic that those who never had bank accounts or in some cases could not get a bank account are the real winners from the banking meltdown. These figures are added to our GDP no wonder we are higher than ever before.
Shouldn’t smoking be abolished all together?
School goods?! Well the price of schoolbooks ? Now thats extortion
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