Ireland

This report is part of the project The Factbook on the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.It focuses on Ireland, where the illicit trade in tobacco products has been an important concern since 2007–2008. According to unofficial estimates, 29.7% of total tobacco consumption was illicit in 2012, when Ireland ranked 3rd (after Latvia and Lithuania) among 22 European countries for illicit tobacco penetration (Euromonitor International 2013a). To tackle the ITTP, the Revenue Commissioners have launched the Revenue’s Strategy on Combating the Illicit Tobacco Trade (2011–2013), the aim of which is to deter people from buying illicit trade products and to reduce their availability. Given the close geographical (shared land border), social, economic and cultural connections, the report also focuses, where appropriate, on Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom.