AACS CONGRATULATES POLICE ON ILLICIT TOBACCO BUST

MEDIA RELEASE
October 25, 2013

Reports that authorities have seized over 70 tonnes of illicit tobacco and 80 million cigarettes from one of the country’s largest illicit tobacco importation syndicates have been welcomed by the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS).

AACS CEO Jeff Rogut congratulated the police and Trident Taskforce on the successful operation and for tackling the huge problem of illicit tobacco trade in Australia.

“The illicit trade of tobacco not only costs Government a huge amount in lost tax revenue, it also directly impacts the many convenience stores and small businesses that responsibly sell tobacco as part of their offering,” Mr Rogut said.

“The volume of the illicit tobacco product seized underlines the severity and magnitude of this crime and the sophisticated importing arrangements these criminals are engaged in.

“Obviously since the introduction of plain packaging the market for and awareness of illicit tobacco has grown considerably, so we congratulate the police for their concerted effort to stop this practice and bring the criminals involved to justice,” Mr Rogut said.

According to Deloitte, the illicit trade of tobacco costs the Government an estimated $776 million in lost revenue annually as at December 2012.

“Tobacco remains an important category for convenience stores and efforts to crack down on the illicit trade of tobacco, which was an issue highlighted prior to the introduction of plain packaging by our Association, are welcome,” Mr Rogut said.

Further information:
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789

Media enquiries:
Stephen Naylor
Wise McBaron Communication
Ph: +61 (2) 9279 4770