Illicit tobacco trade in Greece: the rising share of illicit consumption during crisis

Abstract

The paper presents the tobacco black market in Greece, its structure and actors, and explores the financing and the financial management of illicit tobacco trade as a manifestation of organised crime. During the era of economic crisis (since 2008) there has been a significant surge in tobacco smuggling, especially in illicit cigarettes, either in illicit whites or counterfeit brands and legal brands. Additionally, hand-rolling tobacco (HRT) is the new trend and it is easily accessible, even online. Criminal organizations involved in tobacco smuggling are generally not confined by national borders, as they often create partnerships within and outside the EU either with individuals or with other networks. Their main and sometimes sole illegal activity is tobacco smuggling. They appear to be increasingly involved in the illegal market and they are divided into those that deal with the illegal importation and transfer of the tobacco from abroad to Greece or to other European markets, and those that deal exclusively with the selling of tobacco products in Greek markets. Finally, due to the increase of this transnational criminal phenomenon, the policy measures to tackle the tobacco smuggling must be oriented towards transnational cooperation.