Cigarette crime wave raises black-market fears

By PATRICK GOWER and JO-MARIE BROWN

A spate of heists and armed robberies may be fuelling a black market for cigarettes which has developed following recent price increases.

Australia's illegal tobacco trade is worth $A500 million ($600 million) a year and there are concerns a similar black market may develop here.

Several aggravated robberies and burglaries targeting cigarettes have raised fears that a new wave of crime may be an unforeseen spin-off of the higher prices.

Police were called to a Silverdale dairy at the weekend when a man brandishing a pair of bolt cutters made off with a "huge bundle" of cigarettes.

Days earlier, two men wielding a knife stole more than 500 packets worth nearly $4000 from a Glenfield service station.

Thieves stole a cigarette machine from the Orewa Tavern, which was emptied and later dumped in Henderson.

Burglars also took $5000 worth of cigarettes from the Marina Superette in Howick in an early morning raid.

Some dairy owners are refusing to stock cigarettes to avoid being burgled.

The owner of Morrinsville's Strand Dairy, Warren Merrilees, said he stopped selling cigarettes when the Government increased the price two weeks ago.

His store was raided in December specifically for cigarettes and tobacco, with $8000 worth stolen despite stringent security.

"It's damn easy money for them. They've only got to break in, and providing they don't get caught, they'll resell them in 24 hours."

Mr Merrilees said the 10 per cent profit he made on a packet of cigarettes was not worth the cost of extra security, higher insurance premiums and the stress involved.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor said cigarettes had always been a popular target for criminals. Their "profit margin" had gone up with the price rise.

"The criminal underworld is a marketplace like any other and they appear to have adapted to the cigarette price rise already."

John Galligan, spokesman for British American Tobacco New Zealand, said the company - which supplies 80 per cent of New Zealand's cigarettes - knew theft was now of great concern to convenience store owners.

Noel Dravitski, New Zealand Customs manager of fraud and prosecutions, did not think a large black market would develop. Customs was at present prosecuting three Nelson tobacco manufacturing plant operators after $100,000 worth of illegally grown product was seized.

"We are confident our controls are so strict that no one will be able to organise a black market in terms of importing cigarettes either," Mr Dravitski said.

Smokefree Coalition director Barbara Langford said it was unlikely that people addicted to smoking would steal to support their habit.

"In saying that, scientific evidence tells us that tobacco is as addictive as heroin - maybe even more so. It's likely people will buy from the black market."