Illicit Cigarettes Possibly Contaminated With Mites, Feces Flood British Streets

A report by Philip Morris International suggests that nearly one in five cigarettes smoked in the UK may be either counterfeit or contraband.

The ongoing cost of living crisis in Britain has apparently resulted in a sharp increase in the sale of cheap black market cigarettes, as many smokers across the country find themselves struggling to afford the real deal.

According to The Daily Star, the sale of phony tobacco products increased by more than a third last year, while famous tobacco company Philip Morris International has established that almost one in five cigarettes smoked in the United Kingdom is either counterfeit or contraband.

Will O’Reilly, consultant for the tobacco industry and former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector, has warned that such phony products may also contain some rather unpleasant additives.

"Illicit cigarettes pose a risk to people’s homes in terms of house fires and they’ve been found to contain contaminants, such as mites, insect eggs, fungi and even faeces", he said, as quoted by the newspaper.

He added that his team found fake cigarettes being "widely available" for sale on streets in the UK, and noted that organized criminal groups involved in this lucrative business seem to "consider the risk of being caught well worth the prospect of making around £1.5million profit for every container load they bring into the UK."