Cigarette smuggling at Swiss airports increased by nearly 28% in 2024, with the majority of the illicit products coming from Turkey, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Republic of Congo, with most apparently intended to be sold in France. Customs officials discovered 880,000 undeclared cigarettes last year, up from 690,000 in 2023.
More than 700,000 undeclared cigarettes were seized at Geneva Airport. All foreign couriers stopped while traveling were fined, and those found to be commercial smugglers were banned from entry. Unpaid fines were converted to days in prison for smugglers.
As examples, customs officials pointed to one day when a 35-year-old Egyptian man was caught with 44,840 cigarettes (220 cartons), and later that day a 25-year-old Greek man had 47,360 cigarettes (235 cartons) in his luggage.
