By Lucy Kopana – EMTV News, Lae
More than twenty large boxes of Pall Mall Red cigarettes were found this morning by a police officer and community leaders from the Kamkumung area in Lae.
Lae Metropolitan Commander, Anthony Wagambie Jr, says the officer and community leaders were investigating a drug trail when they came across a group of people transporting the boxes. They searched the area and found that the cigarettes were buried in different locations in the settlements along the Bumbu River. The boxes were dug up in the early hours of this morning, brought to the Omili Police Station and locked in a holding cell.
Mr. Wagambie says the large amount seized today confirms suspicions of counterfeit cigarettes being widely soled on roadside markets. An official from the British American Tobacco (BAT) who was called in to verify the products confirmed that the cigarettes found were fake red label Pall Mall. Mr. Wagambie says police will be investigating further to find where these vendors are sourcing the cigarettes from.
