The Dublin city centre street traders are well more clued in when it comes to flogging dodgy smokes and quickly recognising a sting operation.
It is a bright September morning and a team of investigators hired by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, gather in a Dublin hotel to map out their day.
The plan is to scour the north inner city for sellers of illegal tobacco before moving to online to trace people using Facebook to ply their illicit trade. There will be no confrontations or arrests – JTI’s team have no authority on that score – but the team will pass their findings on to Revenue and gardaí and hope they will take it from there.
Trevor (not his real name) is a young man in a tracksuit and baseball cap. He is JTI’s lead investigator. He has his homework already done and outlines his targets for the day. First up is one of the countless shops in Dublin’s inner city selling an eclectic mix of vapes, reconditioned phones, tablets and a range of knock-off Labubus.
With one of his team – and The Irish Tim
Continue Reading on The Irish Times
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.