The invasion of Iraq opened a Pandora’s box of troubles that have been felt far beyond the country’s borders. One less noted consequence of the invasion has been the emergence of Iraq as a regional hub for smuggled cigarettes, exacerbating a regional problem and further denting the coffers of finance ministries from Amman to Tehran.“Illicit trade is an issue in the region. Everybody has some brand affected,” said Emile Moukarzel, Philip Morris International’s (PMI) area manager for Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Smuggling cigarettes nothing newThe smuggling of cigarettes is nothing new, with the global trade in contraband cigarettes equivalent to 6% of yearly sales, or 355 billion puff sticks according to Tobacco Control. But in a region where the smoking incidence is among the highest in the world—over 50% of the Lebanese and Syrian adult populations are smokers—and wages are low, there is a ready market for contraband cigarettes.Nasser Qudah,
