By Frank Mugabi
CIGARETTE smugglers taking advantage of the porous southern Sudan and northeastern DR Congo borders are reaping big from the large number of consumers in the West Nile region.

This is threatening to push the largest local producer, British American Tobacco (BATU) out of market.

Such is a reason that prompted the trade state minister, Nabeta Igeme to travel to Arua and Koboko on spot assessment of the problem.

In company of BATU’s top managers, the minister randomly visited kiosks, which he found selling smuggled cigarettes.

The kiosks were stocked with Supermatch cigarettes manufactured in Kenya.

The cigarettes are transported through Uganda under the disguise of exports to Congo and Sudan from where they find their way back into markets in West Nile.

“Sudan and Congo have lower taxes. So the cigarettes easily find their way back through the abnormal profit seekers,” BATU’s Chris Achola said.

He said although at least 20% of the cigarettes on the national market were untaxed, in West Nile, up to 40% of cigarettes on sale were smuggled.