Latest news with #illicitAlcohol
The Herald
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald
SA's illegal alcohol trade costs R16bn in lost tax revenue
South Africa's illicit alcohol market has grown by 55% over the past seven years, outpacing growth of the legal alcohol market, and is now worth R25.1bn. This has prompted a call from the Drinks Federation of SA (DF-SA) for collaboration between the government and the private sector to fight the growth of illicit trade in alcohol which has cost the government R16.5bn in lost tax revenue. Benjamin Rideout, research consultant at Euromonitor International, said nearly one in five alcoholic drinks sold in SA is illegal. 'Unlike some countries where home brews are the issue, SA is facing large-scale counterfeiting. The situation demands better control over production inputs like ethanol and much stronger enforcement.' The chair of DF-SA and CEO of SAB, Richard Rivett-Carnac, said illicit alcohol distorts the market and undermines trust in legitimate brands. ' In a tough macroeconomic environment, consumers are looking for bang for buck, goods that are affordable and the price gap of between 37% and 70% between illicit and legal alcohol makes illicit products more appealing, especially in low-income communities. He said 67% of surveyed consumers in the Euromonitor study, for instance, said they would knowingly buy illicit alcohol due to the lower price.' Moreover, he said illegal alcohol is a growing threat to South Africa's economy and public health. 'It drains billions from public funds, threatens jobs, and weakens the formal legal, taxed alcohol industry. Understanding the drivers of illicit alcohol growth and its magnitude is a step in the Right direction but we need stronger collaboration with the industry and government to really start removing the incentives that allow for the illicit market to thrive and intensifying enforcement.' During a panel discussion, Dr Shamal Ramesar, head of research at DF-SA, said 'communities are at risk, and the economy is the biggest loser when we delve into the pervasiveness of illicit alcohol. Recent testing with the University of KwaZulu-Natal found that many illegal products contain dangerous substances like methanol, which can cause serious harm. Unless we shut down illegal producers and educate consumers, lives will continue to be at risk.' DF-SA also announced a new national awareness campaign to help South Africans recognise illegal alcohol and understand the risks. The campaign will include tools for traders and consumers, tips on spotting fake products, and information on how to report them. TimesLIVE
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Telegraph
Inmates use drug-infested jail as lab to create ‘potent' new blends
Criminals at Britain's most drug-infested jail are using it as a laboratory to develop more 'potent' versions of drugs to be adopted across the prison estate, watchdogs have revealed. HMP Hindley in Wigan is so awash with drugs that at one point this year more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of its inmates were positive in mandatory drugs tests. On average, more than half (55 per cent) test positive for drugs. It is the highest rate of any prison in England and Wales with drugs being flown into the jail grounds and dropped off at a cell window within a minute, according to the prison's independent monitoring board (IMB). Prisoners are found under the influence 'virtually daily', said the IMB. With drugs so freely available, the watchdog said prisoners were experimenting with blending them to create more potent varieties. 'With new and increasingly potent drugs becoming available, some being blended within the prison and tested on vulnerable men, the board is aware that this is not an isolated problem for Hindley and that such substances are regularly found right across the prison estate,' said the IMB. Offenders are adopting a similar approach with 'hooch', illicit alcohol that can be made from fruit, sugar and bread, which they test on 'vulnerable' prisoners before wider circulation in the jail because of the risks of contamination. 'The production of illicit alcohol in the prison environment continues to result in behavioural problems and medical risks,' said the IMB. 'This uncontrolled liquid with unknown, untested ingredients remains one of the biggest risks to prisoners, where vulnerable prisoners are used to sample the latest 'brew' prior to its wider release.' The watchdog said there was 'minimal deterrent' to stop drugs entering the prison through the routine searching of staff, contractors and other official visitors and their property. 'They can deliver a load accurately' 'Infrequent deployment of random searches, X-ray scanning of bags and deployment of drug detection dogs may be a contributory factor to the prevalence of illicit items entering the prison,' they said. 'Although frequent drones (around 150 during the year) are intercepted and their load seized, the improvements in technology and handling skills mean that they can deliver a load accurately, direct to a cell in under a minute. ''Throw over' events (where items are thrown into the prison over the fencing) continue and staff remain vigilant to intercepting the parcels where possible.' The watchdog revealed that due to the prison's concern about the high levels of illicit items, it brought in an expert team to mount an unannounced major search of prisoners and cells. However, it resulted in the prison governor and its board complaining to the Ministry of Justice and police being called in. 'Although many phones with supporting technology, illicit substances and weapons were found, the level of violence used by a few external officers was unacceptable to the board and governors, who have pursued the matter through the official complaints process, with some matters referred to the police,' said the IMB. A Prison Service spokesman said: 'We have a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in prison and through our new drug-free units, like the one at HMP Hindley, we are helping the highest-ever proportion of offenders overcome their addiction. 'We are also boosting training for staff to better spot and support those with substance misuse issues while our £100 million investment in tough security measures such as X-ray body scanners is stopping more illicit drugs from entering jails in the first place.'
