SÃO LUÍS - Survey by the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition (ETCO) - a civil society organization of public interest - pointed out that the volume of smuggled cigarettes in the state of Maranhão grew 17%. The data refers to the percentage of illegal cargoes that barely had access to the domestic market between the years 2002 and 2015.
Also according to the survey, while the number of contraband cigarettes grew, the sale of the product in the main centers of the country fell. According to the ETCO survey, of the 10 cigarette brands with the greatest market appeal in Maranhão, three are from the illegal market.
According to the institute, the main factor that contributed to the high percentage of illegal products of the genre in the state is the consumer price. According to the entity, the average price of the smuggled pack would be - on average - R $ 3,20, which is 36% of the legal minimum price for cigarettes in the legal market. Another fact that draws attention in the survey is that, throughout the Northeast Region, 26% of the people interviewed admitted that they are in the habit of buying contraband products for their own use, such as electronics, clothes and films, in addition to cigarettes. The survey also concluded that the majority of people (79%) believe that the entry of illegal products in the country favors the growth of urban violence.

Source: The State of Maranhão Online (São Luís - MA), 13/11/2016

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