Around 90 percent of the smuggled cigarettes bearing Philip Morris International brand names seized by law enforcement in 2011 were counterfeits of Philip Morris brands.
The trade in counterfeit cigarettes has been a problem for years, and it is a growing global problem that hurts tobacco manufacturers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In addition to tricking smokers into buying fake cigarettes, the trade in counterfeit cigarettes supports organized crime.
It is also important to note that fake cigarettes are often of substandard quality and do not comply with government and industry standards. Many of the counterfeit cigarettes are manufactured in underground factories overseas using contaminated tobacco leaves, substantially increasing the health risks associated with smoking, with much higher levels of tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, lead, cadmium, and arsenic than genuine brand-name cigarettes.
Can you identify counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes?
Can you identify an authentic pack of Marlboro cigarettes?
Shipment of counterfeit Philip Morris Marlboro cigarettes seized by US Customs. Could you identify the authentic product?
US Customs seizure of cases of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes.
Case from a shipment of Marlboro Lights seized by US Customs.
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