In the Maldives, smuggling of cigarettes and vapes has surged to the point where the illicit tobacco trade now exceeds legally imported, duty-paid products.
What's happening?
According to Tobacco Reporter, Maldivian authorities said that efforts to curb smoking — including raising cigarette import duties and banning vapes — have unintentionally fueled a spike in tobacco smuggling, cutting deeply into state revenue.
"People's tax money is being lost while others profit," deputy speaker Ahmed Nazim told parliament, per the publication.
Nazim noted that illegal cigarettes and vapes are slipping through official customs channels and being sold openly across the country, often through social media.
The scale of the problem was underscored in April, when officials uncovered a massive shipment hidden in two containers falsely declared as plywood, as Corporate Maldives reported.
Inside, authorities found 13.6 million cigarettes valued at roughly $7.9 million — one of the country's largest tobacco seizures in recent years.
Why is the illegal tobacco trade concerning?
Beyond the well-documented health risks of smoking and vaping, the addiction-driven tobacco industry generates a growing amount of hard-to-manage waste.
Single-use vapes are made of plastic casings, mixed metals, and lithium-ion batteries that are difficult or impossible to recycle, and the nicotine residue inside them further complicates recovery.
Because many disposable devices are designed to last only a few hundred puffs, they are discarded quickly, adding to a mass of toxic e-waste.
Improperly disposed lithium batteries — which already require resource-intensive mining to produce — can leak harmful chemicals into the environment, while the plastics in these devices contribute to single-use plastic pollution and microplastic contamination.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
|
Do you think cigarettes should be illegal? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Yes 👍 Smoking cigarettes also carries its own environmental toll. Tobacco farming drives deforestation, heavy pesticide use, and water depletion, while cigarette manufacturing produces significant chemical waste.
Cigarette butts are the world's most littered plastic item, according to Earth Day. They leach toxins and microplastics into soil and waterways, harming the environment and wildlife.
The realities of nicotine addiction fuel this environmental toll, with higher demand leading to more waste and more pollution.
Curbing cigarette and vape use can help protect public health, reduce plastic and e-waste pollution, and ease climate pressures — but only if it isn't replaced by illicit trade.
What's being done about the illegal tobacco trade?
To curb the illegal trade of cigarettes and vapes, many countries are adopting stronger tracking and tracing systems under the World Health Organization's Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.
Some countries have also increased efforts to pull illegal vapes and tobacco off shelves, penalizing retailers selling illicit products with fines.
Public awareness campaigns are also warning about the risks of black-market products. Despite these efforts, the illicit market remains lucrative and widespread, making continued enforcement and tighter regulations necessary.
Notably, the Maldives adopted one of the world's strictest anti-tobacco measures. A generational ban prohibits anyone born on or after January 1, 2007, from buying or using tobacco — a rule that applies even to tourists.
💰Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
