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Category: Illicit Trade

  • Cuba Customs Scores Second Major Bust in a Month

    Cuba Customs Scores Second Major Bust in a Month

    Cuban Customs intercepted an attempt to smuggle more than 4,500 counterfeit cigars through Havana’s international airport this weekend, marking the second such bust in less than a month. Authorities discovered the fake products, disguised with branded boxes and labels, in the possession of two passengers. Officials also seized dozens of unused cigar bands, underscoring the sophistication and scale of the operation.

    The seizures highlight the persistent challenge of the illicit cigar trade, which continues to undermine Cuba’s premium cigar industry abroad. With repeated incidents surfacing at Havana’s airport, including last month’s seizure of 4,400 counterfeit cigars, authorities are tightening enforcement in collaboration with the National Revolutionary Police to curb a trade that generates significant profits in global black markets.

  • Jordan Customs Seizes Smuggled Cigarettes, Vapes, and More

    Jordan Customs Seizes Smuggled Cigarettes, Vapes, and More

    Jordan Customs Department’s Anti-Smuggling Directorate, working with security agencies, announced the seizure of a large haul of contraband tobacco and nicotine products in two separate cases today (September 11). Authorities confiscated 13,100 cartons of smuggled cigarettes, 2,130 e-cigarettes, 13,800 packs of e-liquids and vape juices, 610 kilograms of hookah tobacco, and 8,250 cigars, placing the items under custody pending legal action.

    Officials said the goods pose serious health risks and undermine the national economy by entering the market without meeting Jordanian health and safety standards.

  • Thailand Police Seize $2.8M in Illegal E-Cigarettes

    Thailand Police Seize $2.8M in Illegal E-Cigarettes

    Police and excise officials seized more than 559,000 illegal e-cigarettes and related parts during a raid in Wiharn Daeng district, Saraburi, Thailand. The announcement came at a press conference today (September 10), led by Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiewphan, one day after the operation.

    Trairong said cybercrime officers tracked a suspected pickup truck from Bangkok to a warehouse in Moo 4 village, Tambon Bang Lam. Upon inspection, authorities discovered 138,680 disposable INFY vapes, 40,800 disposable Escobar vapes, 374,000 pod heads for INFY devices, and 6,350 INFY vapes. The haul is valued at an estimated 90 million baht ($2.8 million).

  • Police Bust Illegal E-Cigarette Factory in Bangkok

    Police Bust Illegal E-Cigarette Factory in Bangkok

    Thai police raided an illegal e-cigarette factory in Bangkok’s Bang Khunthian district, arresting two Chinese managers and seizing around 20,000 vaping products along with production equipment. The Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) acted on a tip that the facility, rented by Chinese investors, was being used to manufacture and store vaping devices and liquids, which are banned under Thai law.

    Two Chinese nationals were taken into custody and charged with colluding in the production and sale of illegal e-cigarettes. Authorities also detained 11 Myanmar nationals working at the warehouse, identified as illegal migrants. The suspects and seized materials have been handed over to ECD investigators for further legal action.

  • Bangladesh’s Illicit Cigarette Market Jumps 31%

    Bangladesh’s Illicit Cigarette Market Jumps 31%

    Bangladesh’s illicit tobacco trade has surged sharply, with illegal cigarettes now making up 13.1% of the market, according to a new study by Insight Metrics. The report estimates more than 832 million illicit sticks enter circulation each month, a 31% increase from last year, dominated by “Illicit Whites” with fake or reused tax stamps, alongside smuggled foreign brands such as Oris, Mond, and Esse.

    The government’s annual revenue loss, officially reported at ৳20 billion ($164 million), is likely far higher according to critics as illegal operators bypass cigarette import duties of nearly 600%. Dhaka and Chattogram are identified as key hotspots, with Oris alone moving an estimated 50 million sticks per month. Despite the seizure of over 610 million illicit cigarettes in 16 months, the study suggests enforcement captures only a fraction of the trade.

    Experts warn that steep taxes and price hikes on legal products are driving smokers toward cheaper, unregulated cigarettes. They stress that without coordinated action between government and industry, the booming black market will continue to undermine revenue collection, weaken regulation, and fuel long-term public health risks.

  • NYC Charges 12 Distributors in Largest Vape Sting in State History

    NYC Charges 12 Distributors in Largest Vape Sting in State History

    New York City carried out the biggest criminal vape enforcement action in its history, resulting in more than a dozen arrests and nearly 40 criminal charges, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on September 3. The crackdown, led by the New York State Department of Health and State Police, targeted businesses accused of illegally selling and distributing vapor products across the state.

    Authorities said many of the seized products were disposable e-cigarettes and flavored e-liquids that are especially appealing to youth. Some devices featured bright packaging, digital display screens, and designs resembling smartphones or video games, raising additional concerns about their appeal to minors.

    Companies caught up in the operation include Shindler Distribution (Vaporush), ePuffer, Vape4Style, Beyond Vape, NYC Glass 718, Vaperdudes, and Shinnecock Vape Shop. “These companies built their business models around breaking New York’s laws and targeting our kids—now we’re holding them accountable,” Hochul said, stressing that the state will continue to pursue offenders aggressively.

  • Australia: Legal Cigarettes Plunge, Black Market Thrives

    Australia: Legal Cigarettes Plunge, Black Market Thrives

    Legal cigarette sales in Australia have dropped 22% in the past year, according to data published yesterday (September 3) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics; however, industry experts point out that not having the overall smoking rate mirror that number exposes the growing dominance of the black market and the challenges it poses for enforcement and government revenues. The Treasury expects tobacco excise collections to fall to A$7.1 billion ($4.6 billion) this year, down 57% from the 2019–20 peak of A$16.3 billion ($10.6 billion), despite years of sharp tax hikes.

    Excise increases of more than 280% since 2013 have lifted the price of a 25-pack to around A$50 ($32.50), driving many smokers toward illicit alternatives costing less than half as much. The Australian Border Force estimates organized crime controls 75% of the trade, smuggling in the equivalent of A$3 billion ($2 billion) in untaxed tobacco last year alone. More than 120 Victorian outlets have been fire-bombed since 2023 in gang turf wars.

    While smoking rates have nearly halved since 2010, health groups warn progress has slowed, even as public finances are squeezed.

  • Malaysian Customs Seize 300K Illicit Vapes Bound for Singapore

    Malaysian Customs Seize 300K Illicit Vapes Bound for Singapore

    Malaysian Customs officers in Selangor’s Port Klang seized 300,000 e-vaporizers and components hidden in containers falsely declared as furniture, in what investigators believe was a smuggling attempt to supply Singapore’s black market. The shipment, which arrived from China on July 30, contained vapes branded “Salthub,” without mandatory Malaysian health warnings.

    A source close to the case told The Straits Times the devices were packed in green polythene bags, a common tactic used by smuggling syndicates. While vaping is legal in Selangor, legal products must meet strict packaging, labelling, and excise requirements.

    The UN Office on Drugs and Crime had previously warned that Malaysia is becoming a key maritime hub for drug and vape trafficking, with smugglers receiving illicit goods at the port and driving them to such places as Singapore.

  • Two Sentenced, Tanker Seized in Bahrain Over 4 Tons of Illegal Tobacco

    Two Sentenced, Tanker Seized in Bahrain Over 4 Tons of Illegal Tobacco

    The Second Minor Criminal Court in Bahrain sentenced two people and seized a tanker, all connected to an attempt to smuggle four tons of tembak into the country. The first defendant was sentenced to three years in prison and fined BD 60,000 ($159,000) and the second defendant was sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to import the banned tobacco.

    Customs officials discovered the tobacco “cleverly hidden inside the tanker” being brought through the seaport. The Tax Evasion Crimes Unit launched an investigation, and the second defendant admitted they had falsified documents in an attempt to bypass import restrictions.

  • Bangladesh: Couple Jailed for Fake Bidi Band-Rolls

    Bangladesh: Couple Jailed for Fake Bidi Band-Rolls

    A court in Rangpur, Bangladesh, on Wednesday (August 27), sentenced a couple to 14 years in prison for possessing counterfeit bidi band-rolls, a key tax stamp for the country’s cheap cigarette market. The 28-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife were arrested in January 2021 with a large haul of fake rolls. Judge Md Moshiur Rahman Khan also fined each Tk 10,000 ($7,200), with two months’ additional jail if unpaid.

    Authorities said the case highlights ongoing enforcement against counterfeit tobacco products, which undermine government revenue and fuel the illicit trade.