Smokers are dicing with death when they buy bootleg cigarettes, PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde warned today.
As the Chief Constable revealed his officers have seized £1.5m worth of counterfeit goods in the last six weeks, he urged the public to steer clear of illegal tobacco.
He told a public meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board that fake products were being smuggled in because they can be made cheaply and draw huge profits for the criminals involved.
But he cautioned: "The reason they are cheap is that they are lethal. They have very, very high tar levels and very high impurity levels.
"People are prepared to buy them because they believe they are getting one over on the Exchequer."
Sir Hugh issued his warning as he claimed police were winning their war on counterfeiters. As well as seizing hundreds of thousands of cigarettes, his officers have launched operations against suspected money launderers and crooks selling fake goods.
"We are reaching every part of Northern Ireland . We have the technology and we have the people," he said.
PA