Cigarette smuggling is spiralling upwards and could add up to over £11bn in lost revenue within five years, according to a report carried out for the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association. The report, produced by analysts DTZ Pieda, provides a hard hitting overview of the state of the tobacco industry and it urges government to act to reverse the trend. It shows the illegal sales of cigarette packs currently equates to over £2bn in revenue for smugglers and estimated untaxed profits of £415m. Rolling tobacco adds further profits of £123m. David Swan, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association said: "If anyone still believes tobacco smuggling is a harmless activity practiced by cross-Channel transit van weekenders out to make a bit of extra pin money, they should study this report. "The scale of criminal activity and the government's failure to deal with it, is breathtaking." {{NEWS }}