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Tag: Customs

  • Malaysian Raid Seizes $2.7M in Illicit Vapes

    Malaysian Raid Seizes $2.7M in Illicit Vapes

    Malaysia’s Customs Department detailed the seizure of more than RM13 million ($2.7 million) worth of illicit vape devices and liquids during an October raid on a storage warehouse in Padang Besar. Officers discovered 719,250 units, including over 211,000 devices and 508,000 liquids, all of which were believed to be undeclared and lacked the required Health Ministry import permits.

    The products, imported from China, had arrived via Kuala Lumpur International Airport before being transported to Perlis. A man in his 40s is under investigation, and authorities are probing whether the stock was intended for domestic sale or re-export.

  • Korea Busts Cigarette Smuggling Operation

    Korea Busts Cigarette Smuggling Operation

    Seoul Regional Customs referred three people to prosecution for smuggling packs of cigarettes and falsifying customs declarations to evade taxes. Authorities said the suspects re-imported 1.75 million exported cigarette packs by claiming they were being sent to a third country, while concealing the goods in a warehouse in Busan and declaring shipments as water bottles and newspapers. The scheme reportedly avoided around 6.1 billion won ($4.2 million) in taxes.

    According to The Korea Times, the ringleader, already on trial for a similar smuggling case, had amassed significant assets, including a high-value Seoul apartment, which authorities have seized in coordination with prosecutors.

  • Australia Sees Record Surge in Illegal Tobacco and Vape Seizures

    Australia Sees Record Surge in Illegal Tobacco and Vape Seizures

    Australia’s border authorities have reported a sharp rise in the interception of illegal tobacco and vapes, with the Australian Border Force (ABF) seizing 586 million cigarettes and more than 3 million vapes between July and September, the highest quarterly total in recent years. Officials say the spike reflects both growing criminal activity and enhanced border intelligence.

    ABF Illicit Tobacco and Vape Enforcement Commander Greg Dowse said the results highlight how syndicates are becoming more sophisticated, but “not beyond the reach of border intelligence.” He credited the agency’s success to stronger cooperation with international partners, enabling authorities to identify high-risk shipments before arrival.

    Major seizures were reported nationwide, including two tons of undeclared tobacco in Queensland, over 4 million cigarettes in Western Australia, and 95,000 vapes hidden in a Port Botany shipment. Dowse said continued collaboration and intelligence sharing remain crucial to preventing illicit tobacco and vape products from reaching Australian consumers.

  • Maldives Faces Surge in Smuggled Cigarettes and Vapes

    Maldives Faces Surge in Smuggled Cigarettes and Vapes

    The number of smuggled cigarettes in the Maldives has now surpassed legally imported, duty-paid cigarettes, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim said today (October 27). Speaking on behalf of the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee), Nazim said that recent increases in cigarette import duties and the ban on vapes have fueled a spike in illicit trade, costing the state significant revenue.

    Nazim said that smuggled cigarettes and vapes are widely available, often sold openly through social media, and are entering the country through customs channels. He emphasized that the committee’s recommendations, if implemented, would be critical to curbing smuggling and protecting state revenue. “People’s tax money is being lost while others profit,” he said.

    The warning follows a major seizure in April when customs intercepted two containers carrying 13.6 million sticks of cigarettes disguised as plywood cargo, with an estimated value of MVR 122 million ($7.9 million). The containers remain under investigation at Maldives Ports Limited, pending referral to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

  • Tobacco Tax Hikes No Longer Boosting Revenue, Says Dutch Officials

    Tobacco Tax Hikes No Longer Boosting Revenue, Says Dutch Officials

    The Dutch government’s tobacco tax hikes have stopped generating extra revenue due to cross-border cigarette purchases and declining smoking rates, according to a Ministry of Finance report. A 5-cent tax increase per pack was once projected to add €7 million annually, but that figure is now revised to zero. “At the current level of tobacco excise, further increases are expected to trigger strong behavioral changes that will fully offset any extra revenue,” the report stated.

    Finance officials expect tobacco tax receipts to hold steady at €2.5 billion in both 2025 and 2026, with the current excise duty set at €7.81 per pack and no further hikes planned. Customs data showed that 45% of cigarette packs lacked a Dutch excise stamp last year, up from 15% in 2021, illustrating the scale of cross-border buying. Most were legally purchased abroad, where prices are lower, but over 10% were counterfeit.

    Health officials say the hikes are curbing smoking, as the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment estimates 7% of smokers quit after the most recent increase, while 22% cut back.

  • Serbian Man Charged in Bulgaria for Smuggling Shisha Tobacco

    Serbian Man Charged in Bulgaria for Smuggling Shisha Tobacco

    Bulgarian prosecutors charged a 35-year-old Serbian man with smuggling 302.4 kg of shisha tobacco across the Kalotina border crossing. Customs officials said the driver declared the load as separators bound for Türkiye, but an X-ray inspection uncovered 62 boxes of undeclared tobacco hidden in the truck. The driver is being held for 72 hours while prosecutors seek his remand in custody.

  • Article Outlines Role of “Middlemen” in Smuggling Vapes from China to U.S.

    Article Outlines Role of “Middlemen” in Smuggling Vapes from China to U.S.

    Today (June 23), Reuters published an article titled, “How middlemen funnel illegal Chinese vapes into the United States.” In it, reporters Emma Rumney, Kaylee Kang, and Tom Polansek found that China, according to its customs data, exported more than $3.6 billion in vapes to the U.S. in 2024. However, in that time period, according to U.S. customs figures, only $333 million in Chinese vapes were officially received in the U.S.

    “Mismatches in customs data between the U.S. and its trading partners are not uncommon,” the article said, “but a 90% gap was unusual, two customs data specialists told Reuters. Unauthorized vapes often arrive in the U.S. disguised as other items like shoes and toys, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which leads efforts to control the vape market.”

    The FDA, which has faced criticism for slow enforcement, is now turning to artificial intelligence and increased inter-agency collaboration to curb illegal imports. The FDA said that over the past two years, efforts by FDA and Customs Border Protection had led to the seizure of around 7.1 million e-cigarettes with an estimated retail value of over $136 million. Executives at British American Tobacco estimate illicit vapes made up 70% of U.S. sales last year, valued at over $8 billion.

    According to the investigation, a small customs firm near O’Hare International Airport in Chicago processed 60% of all vape and vape parts shipments from China in 2024, as recorded by the FDA. Many of these shipments included illegal brands such as Lost Mary and Geek Bar, which the FDA has banned due to their appeal to minors and lack of authorization. The article outlines how these importers operate and have been able to avoid FDA scrutiny.

  • Finland Seizes 10M Cigarettes in Transnational Network Case

    Finland Seizes 10M Cigarettes in Transnational Network Case

    Finnish Customs has uncovered a large-scale cigarette smuggling operation involving more than 10 million cigarettes illegally brought into the country, with unpaid import duties exceeding €3.5 million, according to the Helsinki Times. Authorities said the cigarettes were transported using regular logistics channels in a way that closely mimicked legitimate cargo operations. The shipments were ordered, collected, and stored through standard delivery procedures to conceal their illicit nature.

    “The pick-up, transport and storage of illegal goods was ordered just as in a legal delivery,” said Janne Mikkonen, the customs officer leading the investigation. “In this case, all of the imported cigarettes were brought in by the same driver, who is one of the suspects and remains in pre-trial detention.”

    The case is linked to a broader criminal investigation that began last autumn that has grown into a transnational case involving multiple suspects and law enforcement agencies. Four suspects from Baltic countries are currently in custody in Finland, and additional arrests have been made in Estonia and Latvia, where several individuals are being held in connection with the operation. Customs officials have not ruled out further arrests and say the investigation is ongoing. The operation is considered part of an organized network that exploited legal transport systems to distribute untaxed tobacco products across borders.

  • Philippines Customs Seizes $1.5M in Illicit Cigarettes  

    Philippines Customs Seizes $1.5M in Illicit Cigarettes  

    Authorities in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines, seized six truckloads with 717 boxes of assorted branded cigarettes in a warehouse last week, worth P83.7 million ($1.5 million). Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing and Japan Tobacco International both cited the Bureau of Customs’ “dedication and effectiveness” as well as the leadership of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio. 

    Owners of the warehouse will be charged for violating the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law if they fail to present documents within 15 days, Rubio said. Charges could also be filed against the owners of the smuggled dried tobacco products for violating the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. 

  • Swiss Airports See All-Time High in Cigarette Smuggling 

    Swiss Airports See All-Time High in Cigarette Smuggling 

    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.