UK smuggling raises questions over British American Tobacco's role

In Belarus, a state-owned company is accused of massively fueling cigarette smuggling in Europe, and more particularly in the United Kingdom. This accusation raises the responsibility of the manufacturer British American Tobacco (BAT), for whom the Belarusian company produces millions of packs each year.[1].

The Neman Tobacco Factory, based in Hrodna (Grodno), is a partner company of BAT, for which it manufactures, for the domestic Belarusian market, products belonging to the portfolio of brands of the tobacco multinational, such as Pall Mall and Rothmans. However, according to the newspaper inews, police operations, carried out in the United Kingdom, have led to significant seizures of illicit packages bearing the logos of these brands, as well as health warnings written in Belarusian.

Belarus, the lung of European contraband

Belarus is a major source of tobacco smuggling, particularly to the United Kingdom. Around 10% of the 5.5 billion illicit cigarettes in circulation across the Channel are thought to come from this country. As the newspaper inews points out, experts claim that a very large part of this Belarusian smuggling is supplied by the company Neman Tobacco Factory.

British American Tobacco, a regular in illicit trade

There is no evidence to date that British American Tobacco was aware of the Belarusian manufacturer's role in supplying the United Kingdom and the entire European Union with contraband products. The tobacco multinational has therefore taken pride in implementing a series of procedures aimed at preventing its own products from ending up in illicit trade. However, British American Tobacco, and the tobacco industry more generally, has been prosecuted by several states for its involvement in organising and facilitating global illicit trade, for which it has pleaded guilty. Even today, a number of elements allow us to assert that British American Tobacco remains linked to illicit trade networks, including in conflict zones.

FT

[1] INews, Britain's biggest tobacco firm facing questions over links to state-owned factory in Belarus, 05/31/2021, (accessed 06/02/2021)