Philip Morris India presses for crackdown as illicit cigarettes claim 25% of market
PMI, alongside Godfrey Phillips and the Tobacco Institute of India, is pushing enforcement agencies to dismantle illicit tobacco networks costing the exchequer Rs 23,000 crore annually. Recent DRI actions include 29.3 lakh sticks seized in Kolkata and a Rs 120 crore e-cigarette bust spanning Guwahati, Coimbatore and Chandigarh.
Philip Morris India urges stronger enforcement against illicit tobacco trade, citing TII data showing illicit cigarettes account for ~25% of domestic market and Rs 23,000 crore annual revenue loss, alongside major DRI seizures across Indian cities.