City’s illicit cigarette trade ‘costs local jobs’

A nationwide survey has found a rise in illicit cigarettes in Cork City in the past 12 months — a trend newsagents claim is costing jobs.

The survey of discarded cigarette packs on the streets and in bins in Cork found that 30.3% were non-domestic, meaning they had no Irish duty-paid stamp on them and were, therefore, illegal.

Cork was ranked seventh of 22 towns and cities surveyed across the country. The city was 2.4 points above the national average of 27.9%.