Almost 90% of the smuggled cigarettes bearing Philip Morris International brand names seized by governments in 2002 were actually counterfeit. They were fakes, that is.

The trade in counterfeit cigarettes is a rapidly growing global problem. And it hurts tobacco manufacturers like us to the tune of hundreds of millions of euros each year.

Smokers who are tricked into buying fake cigarettes don't get the product they're expecting. While all cigarettes are dangerous and cause disease, a 2003 BBC documentary reported that counterfeit cigarettes had "75% more tar, 28% more nicotine and about 63% more carbon monoxide" than genuine cigarettes in the UK market. Furthermore, many were even "contaminated with sand and other packaging materials such as bits of plastic".

According to the European Commission, international criminal organizations involved in counterfeit production "exploit their workforce, often largely consisting of children who are locked up in cramped conditions without any concern for personal safety or human rights".

And the Commission estimates that counterfeit products of all kinds account for the loss of 100,000 jobs in Europe each year.

So what can be done?

We believe that governments need to recognize that cigarette counterfeiting is a serious criminal offence. We believe that the authority of customs authorities to stop the trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes needs to be strengthened. We believe that the machinery used to produce counterfeit goods, as well as the counterfeit goods themselves, needs to be seized and destroyed.

And we believe that regulation of our own industry could be increased and should:

Apply to all layers of distribution, including manufacturers, importers, exporters, warehouses, transporters, retailers and all other participants in the business

Be consistent - and consistently enforced - in all countries

Require licensing and monitoring of all participants in the business

Include internet and direct mail retailers

Only when all parties recognize counterfeit as the serious problem it is will we succeed at putting the counterfeiters out of business.

For more information on counterfeit and the sale of cigarettes on the internet, please see the links on the right.

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