Cigarettes seized by the Gibraltar Goverment set for auction

INSTEAD of destroying cigarettes seized by local law enforcement agencies during anti-drug smuggling operations, the Gibraltar Government plans to sell them.

They published a proposed legislative amendment which will allow the auctioning of these confiscated goods to people in possession of a valid wholesales licence, although it still has to be presented and debated in Parliament. Cigarettes that are not deemed fit for sale would still be destroyed.

This would create extra revenue for the public purse, some of which could be destined to strengthen law enforcement, which has intensified anti-smuggling efforts following the rise in tobacco smuggling.

As a deterrent, not only would they be focusing on the boarder area, but housing estates and certain area of town where people gather to buy and conceal cigarettes before crossing to Spain.