Shortly after separatist militant groups took northern Mali in 2012, British American Tobacco (BAT) began flooding the West African nation with unbranded packs of cigarettes aided by another large tobacco company and the French-backed Malian state. The smuggled smokes arrive through ports in neighboring Guinea, Togo, and Benin from where they are
British American Tobacco’s Illegal Smokes Burn Through Mali’s Quest for Self-Determination
A recent investigative report reveals the extent of an illegal cigarette smuggling operation in Mali by Big Tobacco that is helping to keep European and American interests viable in West Africa.