Sophisticated cigarette trafficking scheme busted in EU

Enforcement authorities in Europe have taken down a criminal group operating an intricate cigarette trafficking scheme across several EU countries.

The operation linked a Polish group active in cigarette trafficking, a counterfeit cigarette factory in France, and another international criminal group. Fifteen suspects were arrested yesterday in connection with the investigation.

The group was discovered after they were caught importing large quantities of tobacco into the country – concealed as waste tobacco – without notifying customs authorities.

After entering the EU, it was transported to customs warehouses in Belgium, Spain and Italy, from where it was taken to Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands to be produced and sold as cigarettes. French authorities discovered that illegal tobacco was entering the country hidden in magazines.

The authorities soon discovered that the cigarette production plants scattered across Europe were connected, as investigations revealed that the same criminal organisation was responsible for setting up these factories.

The group ran a sophisticated operation through multiple entities. One in Bulgaria was responsible for transporting non-tobacco materials such as filters, papers and adhesives to Greece and Italy, while another in Poland specialised in the logistics and transport of the tobacco and counterfeit cigarettes.

"The group recruited individuals across Europe, including high-value targets with extensive criminal records," according to Eurojust, which helped orchestrate the investigation alongside Europol and national authorities.

Throughout the investigation, enforcement agencies were able to intercept several shipments of illegally cut tobacco, totalling more than 50,000kg, intercept millions of counterfeit cigarettes, and take down several production lines. The value of goods seized during the operation is estimated at €13m ($13.7m).

A recently published report estimated that more than 35bn illicit cigarettes were smoked in the EU last year, of which 12.7bn were counterfeit. The production and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes within EU borders is increasing, with criminal organisations focusing on higher-taxed and higher-priced EU member states.