A campaign to stop the flow of an estimated 24 billion illicit cigarettes annually will increase controls along Iran’s borders and apply more pressure on black-market distribution up to point of sale, Press TV reported.

Finalized last week, the campaign begun by the Central Task Force to Combat Smuggling of Commodities and Currency encompasses enforcement by various state organs and ministries, said Deputy Mine, Industry and Trade Minister Mojtaba Khosro-Taj as quoted by Press TV.
Twenty brands will be targeted, said Press TV, the state-run international news network. Iranians consume 65 billion sticks annually, of which 37 per cent are illicit, according to data in the report. Imported cigarettes account for 25 per cent of illicit consumption, Press TV said.