Tobacco smugglers were not being deterred by enforcement taken against them and the Customs Department was catching the same people over and over again.

The department said even aggressive enforcement and a boost in their resources had been “rather ineffective” and was “not in the least discouraging” them.

The department said that the time had come to reassess its approach and that one way to do this would be to step up action against those who buy contraband cigarettes, as well as those who import and sell them.

The law was amended last year, resulting in substantial increases. In fact, out-of-court minimum settlements increased from €250 to a minimum of €1,500; court penalties increased from €500 to a minimum of €3,500, in the case of seizure, whilst, in the case of evasion, this increased from €600 to a minimum of €4,000; and the highest Court penalty was increased to a maximum of €25,000.

Over the coming weeks, the department will be embarking on an awareness campaign about its aim to cut back on contraband, which eats away at excise tax which the government should be collecting.

This campaign will make use of 5,000 posters, 300,000 leaflets and 80,000 stickers. Customs employees will be visiting 17 open markets and industrial zones to explain to the people what lies behind this campaign.

“Once again, the Customs Department reiterates that contraband activity is a very serious criminal act which, once found guilty by the Law Courts, a person incurs heavy fiscal punishments, confiscation of the vehicle involved in the transportation of the contraband goods and of the storage means, and, in addition, even the consideration of imprisonment,” it warned.

Anonymous reports may be made on telephone numbers 2568 5124 and 2568 5200.

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