New council group to stamp out illegal cigarette sales

DUBLIN City Council has declared war on the sale of illegal tobacco products.

A new crack team made up of representatives from Revenue & Customs, the gardai, the Department of Social Protection, the Business Improvement District (BIDs) and the council’s public domain officer will be focusing on the activities of cigarette sellers.

The group was set up after a recent meeting of the Dublin City Local Business Policing Forum that recognised the trade as severely detrimental to the city.

It followed a series of meetings in recent months between Revenue officials, gardai, BIDs representatives, council officials and retailers who had seen their businesses damaged by the sale of illegal tobacco products.

Together the concerned parties drew up a range of measures to tackle the issue.

These include the widening of ASBOs to restrict illegal cigarette sellers to enter the city centre; the issuing of on the spot fines for illegal cigarette sellers and a closer working relationship between gardai, Revenue and businesses in the city centre.

Former Lord Mayor, Cllr Gerry Breen, who chaired the meetings and made the recommendation to set up the operational group, said illegal tobacco selling in the city centre robbed the State of funding for services.

“It also critically makes the city centre a less desirable place to visit and shop,

? he said.

The Dublin City Council operational group is the first established by a council to address the growing problem of the illegal cigarette trade, which retailers claim is costing them approximately e570 million annually.