RAM RAIDERS SEEK TOBACCO

[AussieMark]

Ram-Raiders Seek New Prey -- Tobacconists

PARIS (Reuters) - Cigarette price increases have led to a sharp rise in robberies from tobacco shops in France and the government says it plans to give owners extra protection.
Things have got so bad that tobacco outlets have even been targeted by ram-raiders -- thieves who smash stolen cars into shop fronts in a technique usually reserved for jewelry stores.

The government last month raised the price of cigarettes by 20 percent, sparking the anger of smokers and of the country's 34,000 tobacconists, who staged a one-day strike in protest.

Tobacco shop owners say attacks and break-ins have risen since the price of a top brand packet of 20 cigarettes was hiked to $5.30 in October from $4.50.

"All the things we predicted have come true...development of a black market and smuggling, and a rise in burglaries and hold-ups," Rene Le Pape, head of the National Confederation of Tobacco Outlets, told the daily Le Figaro.

[stormchazer]

When you gotta smoke...you gotta smoke!

[coriolis]

The cost of manufacturing a pack has got to be pennies. Premium brands are over $4.00 here. Can still get generics for about $2.00. That tells me that the taxes are approaching $2.00 a pack. Therefore the manufacturers are profiting about $2.00 a pack for the premium brands. Guess they need the money to pay off the lawsuits.