Investigative Reports

A US farmer was accused of abusing his workers. Then Big Tobacco backed his election

When the tobacco giant Reynolds American cut a cheque for Brent Jackson’s political campaign in November 2019, it was well aware of the accusations against the Republican North Carolina state senator. Jackson – dubbed “the only mega-farmer” in the North Carolina senate – had been accused by several migrant workers of either failing to pay...

Smoke and Mirrors: How the “Father” of Iraq’s Cigarette Smugglers Built An Empire

Iraqi tycoon Nizar Hanna Nasri sits atop an empire spanning pharmaceuticals, liquor imports, and some of Erbil’s most spectacular real estate developments. But his success was built on a far less visible foundation: A globe-spanning trade in black-market cigarettes. Key Findings Nizar Hanna Nasri’s facilities have fed billions of cigarettes into black markets from Cameroon...

Japan Tobacco Company to Continue Producing Cigarettes in Russia

Japan’s state-backed tobacco company announced on Thursday that it would suspend planned investments in Russia, but failed to promise to shut down factories despite criticism that continuing operations would pump cash into a government that has come under heavy sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine. Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which is behind brands like Winston...

Japan Tobacco International Making a Mint by Circumventing Menthol Cigarette Ban

One of the world’s largest cigarette companies, Japan Tobacco International, has been systematically skirting Europe’s effort to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes by introducing new products that secretly contain menthol. Key Findings JTI introduced dozens of new products containing some menthol in the months before and immediately after the ban took effect in May 2020. OCCRP tested...

Regulating nicotine and tobacco products

Although tobacco use is a major public health problem, tobacco products are one of the few openly available commercial products that are virtually unregulated in some countries. They are also the only legally available products that kill up to half of its regular users when consumed as recommended by manufacturers of these products. The WHO Framework...

WHO study group on tobacco product regulation: Report on the scientific basis of tobacco product regulation: eighth report of a WHO study group

Overview This report of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation provides the Director-General with scientifically sound, evidence-based recommendations for Member States about tobacco product regulation. The outcomes and recommendations address a number of issues concerning novel and emerging nicotine and tobacco products, such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), electronic non-nicotine delivery systems...

British American Tobacco (BAT) Conducted Extensive and Potentially Illegal Activity To Undermine Health Policy, Sabotage Competitors And Secure Profits In Africa

British American Tobacco (BAT) Conducted Extensive and Potentially Illegal Activity To Undermine Health Policy, Sabotage Competitors And Secure Profits In Africa New STOP reports reveal how BAT ran a mass surveillance operation and informant network in South Africa and made questionable payments totaling $600,000 in 10 other African countries New York, September 13, 2021 – Two new analyses...

Tobacco industry pricing strategies in response to excise tax policies: a systematic review

Abstract Objective To explore what is known about the tobacco industry’s (TI) price-based responses to tobacco excise tax policies and whether these vary by country income group using a systematic review. Data sources Studies assessing TI pricing tactics were identified via searches of five online databases using a combination of search keywords. Study selection Inclusion criteria were applied by two...

A Fake Shipping Container Leads to Chinese Cigarettes — and Italy’s Camorra Crime Group

A bust of 17 tons of illicit cigarettes in Italy led back to China Tobacco’s European factory — where an executive was working closely with a group of smugglers to help them move cigarettes around Europe. Reporters found the company shipping large numbers of cigarettes to suspicious buyers in Iraq, Montenegro, Moldova, and more. Key...

Huge Quantities of Chinese Cigarettes Smuggled Into Ukraine

China Tobacco’s factory in Europe is selling hundreds of millions of cigarettes to companies in Ukraine under investigation for cigarette smuggling — one co-owned by a former border official with ties to the president. Key Findings China Tobacco has exported hundreds of millions of cigarettes to Ukraine from its European factory since 2013, even though...

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