Plain Packaging risk creating a prefect storm for smugglers and terror group

In 2009 I witnessed a massive illegal cigarette haul. 120 million cigarettes, smuggled into Northern Ireland by the IRA. The seizure, in the heart of ‘bandit country’, was the largest ever seen in Europe, with an estimated street value of nearly £45 million.More recently, in January of this year, two of the IRA’s most senior operatives, ex-bomber Lenoard ‘Bap’ Hardy and his wife Donna Maguire were detained in Spain, not on terrorism charges, but because of their involvement in a smuggling ring.

You might ask why this matters to someone who more usually concerns themselves with helping small and medium sized businesses. Simple, back in 2009 I sat on a Parliamentary committee concerned with controlling the export and supply of arms. The proceeds of these illegal activities would have been funneled into criminal and terrorist activities including the illegal arms trade
 

http://www.breitbart.com/london/2015/03/11/plain-packaging-risks-creating-a-perfect-storm-for-smugglers-and-terror-groups/