Black market thrives on ban of Cigarettes in Makkah shops
MAKKAH: Following the ban on the sale of Cigarettes in shops in Makkah, expatriates have begun to sell Cigarettes at extortionate prices on the black market.
MAKKAH: Following the ban on the sale of Cigarettes in shops in Makkah, expatriates have begun to sell Cigarettes at extortionate prices on the black market. Authorities recently banned the sale of Cigarettes and have threatened violators with fines of up to SR10,000, forcing smokers to buy from street peddlers who have increased the price of a packet of Cigarettes from SR6 up to SR15. Many smokers told Arab News that the ban has made them More persistent smokers. Some of them have, however, opted to smoke the hubble-bubble, which is not banned but is More damaging to health. To make matters worse, Cigarettes are available with Asian shopkeepers, who clandestinely sell to other foreigners, something that leaves Saudi buyers having to pay intermediaries to buy for them. “We not only have to pay a high price for Cigarettes, but have also to pay money to the intermediary,” a smoker said. Muhammad Ajlan, a smoker for nine years, said buying Cigarettes has now become a very exhausting process. He said that after the ban, he bought and stored large quantities of Cigarettes. “However, a friend told me that Cigarettes were still being secretly sold in Makkah. All you need to do is just send a third party to the shopkeeper and you will get what you need,” he said, adding that he buys his Cigarettes locally and does not need to travel out of town to buy. Adil Hameed, another Saudi smoker, said most of the intermediaries work for cleaning companies in Makkah. “They make much More than their salaries by selling Cigarettes on the black market,” he said. When this reporter tried to buy Cigarettes, the shopkeeper said he had no Cigarettes. “Do you know that it is forbidden to sell Cigarettes in Makkah,” he said. This reporter then asked an Asian man to buy on his behalf, something he was able to do very easily. The ban, which was previously limited to the area around the Grand Mosque, has now been extended to cover the entire holy city. It, however, does not include shops along the expressway outside the boundary of the holy city.