One in ten cigarettes contraband, say Southampton researchers at BAT

A report commissioned by tobacco firms including BAT, still one of Southampton’s largest employers, has found that 16 per cent of cigarettes consumed in this country are either contraband or counterfeit (C&C).
As an earlier Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) report On Tap stated, organised criminals see the illegal tobacco trade as “low-risk, high-reward crime”. The overall volume of illegal cigarettes consumed in the UK during 2015 increased by more than six per cent to 6.7 billion cigarettes – the second highest increase in the EU according to the report compiled by accountancy firm KPMG.
If these black market cigarettes had been consumed legally it would have raised an additional tax revenue of 2.8 billion Euros (£2.2 billion) in the UK. Across the EU the loss of tax revenue amounted to 1.3 billion Euros.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/14681057.One_in_ten_cigarettes_contraband__say_city_researchers/