Smuggled imports from belarus to the UK reached nearly £162 million in 2023
Kyiv • UNN
Despite sanctions on trade with belarus due to its support for russia's invasion of Ukraine, illegal tobacco from Belarus continues to be smuggled into the UK, with over £162 million worth of goods, including tobacco, imported in 2023.
Illegal tobacco from belarus continues to be smuggled into Britain, despite sanctions that restrict most trade with the country because of its support for russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is reported by Inews, according to UNN.
Details
According to official government trade data, in 2023, nearly £162 million worth of goods, including "beverages and tobacco," were smuggled into Britain from belarus.
This happened even under sanctions that prohibit most trade with belarus because of its support for russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Business and Trade, together with the Office for National Statistics, refused to disclose specific data on the share of illicit tobacco in these imports from belarus. However, experts believe that given the restrictions on legal exports of tobacco and alcohol to belarus, a significant portion may represent smuggled tobacco hidden among the official data.
belarus has a long history as a source of illicit or illegal tobacco. The [war in Ukraine] has made it harder for this material to get into Europe and the UK, but it still passes in significant quantities
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According to HM Revenue and Customs, the United Kingdom loses about £2.8 billion annually in taxes paid by smuggled tobacco.
