Customs officials show how to identify contraband cigarettes

The customs department has been working overtime with bogus goods coming in from many fronts, and as recent as last week, it busted a container of fake Marlboro cigarettes valued in the millions of dollars. There are many enterprising individuals and businesses that offer contraband goods for sale. Some people feel they are getting a good deal when they pay less, but in addition to breaking the law, they face the possibility of paying fines mounting to three times the cost of the commodity. At Monday’s Custom’s Day, customs officials explained how they distinguish fake cigarettes from the real ones.

Floyd Robinson, Customs Officer
“This is the difference between uncustomed cigarettes and the cigarettes that are duty paid; if you enter into a shop and you see one of these Benson and Hedges that is marked Belize Market right here, you know this has been cleared by Customs. The difference between the two is that this one does not mark Belize Market. Any shop you go into and you find unmarked Benson and Hedges cigarettes with no marks, no Belize Market on it, then you know it’s contraband. This is one of the cigarettes that was recently caught from the container. This consists of normally Marlboros and Winston come in fifties. Fifty of these cartons come in the container. This particular one came sixty in a box and this is from the recent shipment that we seized.”

Jose Sanchez
“This is fake?”

Floyd Robinson
“Yeah, this is fake. These are fake cigarettes; counterfeit cigarettes. This one is not counterfeit cigarettes; this one has paid duty. That is the difference.”

Jose Sanchez
“But how do you really tell the difference, do you get a smoker to come and try it out?”

Floyd Robinson
“No, no, no, we are being trained in certain aspects so we can check for certain signs on the package; certain signs on the package like it should mark Phillip Morris on the little thin thread here. You’d have to look at it with a microscope.”