Communication operation: PMI in the fight against illicit trade

Philip Morris International (PMI) launched a communications campaign in June entitled “United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade[1] ", in partnership with a coalition of public and private sector stakeholders. The initiative officially aims to provide policy makers and law enforcement with training and information to combat illicit trade, and to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by the contraband trade.[2].

The campaign orchestrated by Philip Morris will run throughout 2021 in six US states designated as being particularly affected by illicit trade: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas. The coalition formed around Philip Morris brings together around thirty American public and private players, such as Sanofi, the American Chamber of Commerce, the United States Council for International Trade, Levi Strauss, Tommy Hilfiger, and the pharmaceutical laboratory Merck & Co. In their presentation video, The information campaign is part of a spectacular and security-oriented register: " Illicit trade is growing. Criminals are profiting and American taxpayers are being ripped off. Both the public and private sectors must fight back. […] ».

Philip Morris' involvement in global illicit trade

In its public communication, Philip Morris highlights its experience in the fight against illicit trade to justify its communication operation. In reality, the experience acquired by Philip Morris in the fight against contraband, if it is real, is a little different from the story telling of the cigarette manufacturer. Indeed, Philip Morris, like the largest tobacco companies, has been the subject of lawsuits, notably by European Member States and the European Commission, for its large-scale involvement in international illicit trade. In order to close the dispute, the manufacturers preferred to pay substantial sums. More and more evidence suggests that cigarette manufacturers, despite their multiple declarations of intent, are still massively involved in global contraband today.[3], and are the primary beneficiaries of illicit trade. It is estimated that 98% of illegal cigarettes in circulation worldwide come directly from the factories of legal manufacturers[4].

A major factor in militarization and regional destabilization

The mobilization of the security and anxiety register by Philip Morris is also surprising, to the extent that an investigative investigation had shown the involvement of a representative very close to the manufacturer and a subsidiary in the illicit tobacco trade in West Africa, major source of financing and militarization of organized crime, ethnic militias and terrorist groups. Philip Morris' involvement in the illicit trade of its own products could thus result in particularly dramatic geopolitical consequences, since tobacco smuggling is identified as the primary factor of destabilization in the region.

Illicit trade, a communication tool for manufacturers

The instrumentalization of the issue of illicit trade is a central issue for tobacco manufacturers. First, as such, illicit trade serves as a deterrent argument for cigarette manufacturers to dissuade public authorities from implementing regulations on tobacco, such as tax increases, plain packaging or banning flavors. Furthermore, by investing in the issue of illicit trade, the tobacco industry seeks to gain credibility in the eyes of public decision-makers as a responsible social actor. However, given the involvement of manufacturers in smuggling, the World Health Organization Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products requires Parties to protect themselves from the influence of the industry by providing for control mechanisms that are completely independent of them.[5].

FT

[1] “United to protect America from illicit trade”

[2] Business Wire, Philip Morris International Launches New Campaign to Combat Black Market Trade, 08/06/2021, (accessed 22/06/2021)

[3] Gilmore AB, Gallagher AWA, Rowell A. Tobacco industry's elaborate attempts to control a global track and trace system and fundamentally undermine the Illicit Trade Protocol. Tob Control. 2019;28(2):127-140. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-054191

[4] Tobacco Atlas, Issue: illicit trade, (accessed 06/22/2021)

[5] WHO, Protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products, Full Text (French)