Cigarette pack codes to tackle illicit trade

The tobacco industry is to put special coding on cigarette packets in an effort to cut down on the amount of illegal tobacco smuggled into Ireland — which cost the State an estimated €240m in lost revenue last year.

Four of the big players in the Irish market — JTI (Japan Tobacco International), Imperial Tobacco, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International — are to fund the “Codentify” system which will track packets from their production base to the end user.

It will allow Customs officers armed with smart phone apps to immediately tell the difference between products destined to be legally sold on the Irish market and contraband.