Smoke Rings

Counterfeiters repackage fake cigarettes as top brands

Crooked Britain: Smoke Rings was broadcast on BBC Two, 14 January, 2003.

Most people think that when they buy a cheap cigarette on the street they are simply evading tax.

Few realise that they could actually be buying 'fake fags' - a copy of a branded cigarette - likely to have dangerously high levels of nicotine and tar.

And the cost to your health could be far higher than the few pence saved in the search for a bargain.

Crooked Britain: Smoke Rings exposes the inner workings of a multi-million pound illegal industry, designed to rip off the consumer and tax payer alike.

Reporter Mike Radford goes undercover to investigate the trade in fake fags and uncovers the illegal supply chain involved in putting counterfeit cigarettes onto Britain's streets.

Reporter: Mike Radford
Producer: Iain Overton
Assistant Producer: Susan Prichard