Finnish Customs seized more than 34 million illegally imported cigarettes during the first six months of 2026, twice the amount seized in all of 2025. Customs said the cases identified through June resulted in more than €13.5 million in estimated lost tax revenue, while shipments involving hundreds of thousands or millions of cigarettes have become more common.
Authorities said ferry routes between Estonia and southern Finland are the main route for illegal shipments, with cigarettes often concealed among legitimate goods and moved through commercial transport networks before being distributed from storage facilities. Customs also reported a June seizure of 4 million cigarettes hidden in legal cargo and an investigation involving 15 people suspected of smuggling up to 10 million cigarettes and other tobacco products into Finland during 2025 and 2026. Investigators said some of the supply originates from illicit manufacturing operations in the Baltic countries and Poland.
