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Tag: illicit cigarettes

  • Italian Authorities Seize 4.3M Illicit Vape Products

    Italian Authorities Seize 4.3M Illicit Vape Products

    Italy’s Guardia di Finanza in Latina seized more than 4.6 million items and reported 28 people to judicial authorities following operations targeting smuggling and counterfeiting, according to LatinaQuotidiano.it. The largest seizure involved approximately 4.3 million electronic cigarettes and smoking accessories found in a warehouse operating without the required authorizations. Authorities also seized about 300,000 counterfeit products during inspections across the province.

    The operations also targeted sellers advertising luxury fashion accessories on social media and included seizures at public events.

  • Hong Kong Illicit Cigarette Busts Already Approaching 2025 Total

    Hong Kong Illicit Cigarette Busts Already Approaching 2025 Total

    Hong Kong Customs seized 600 million illicit cigarette sticks from January through September 2026, nearly matching the total seized in all of 2025, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said. Of the total, 200 million sticks destined for other locations were intercepted following intelligence received by customs. Authorities recorded about 18,000 illicit cigarette cases during the first nine months, including approximately 16,000 involving passengers who failed to declare carrying more than 19 cigarettes. Chan also said the department plans to introduce more advanced contraband detection equipment.

  • Armenia Seizes Nearly 38,000 Packs of U.S.-Bound Cigarettes

    Armenia Seizes Nearly 38,000 Packs of U.S.-Bound Cigarettes

    Armenia’s State Revenue Committee uncovered an attempt to smuggle 37,900 packs of cigarettes into the United States concealed inside laminate doors, the agency said. The cigarettes, manufactured in various countries, lacked excise stamps. Customs officers inspected the doors at a cargo terminal after receiving intelligence that an Armenian-registered company planned to export tobacco products while concealing them from customs control. Officers dismantled the doors and discovered the cigarettes inside.

  • ASH Report Challenges UK’s Illicit Tobacco Market Numbers

    ASH Report Challenges UK’s Illicit Tobacco Market Numbers

    Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a U.K. tobacco-control charity, has challenged tobacco industry estimates of the country’s illicit cigarette market, citing a discrepancy between government figures and industry-funded research. In a report published Oct. 19, ASH said HM Revenue & Customs estimated that illicit cigarettes accounted for 12% of U.K. cigarette consumption in 2024-25, or about 1.9 billion cigarettes. A KPMG report commissioned by Philip Morris International estimated that 45% of cigarettes consumed in the U.K. in 2025 were illicit, including counterfeit and contraband products and cigarettes purchased legally abroad.

    ASH said illicit cigarette consumption had fallen by nearly 90% since 2000, from 15.1 billion cigarettes annually to 1.9 billion in 2024-25, with cigarette prices more than tripling. Japan Tobacco International said the industry’s estimates use different methodologies from HMRC’s, including analysis of collected cigarette packs, and cautioned against treating any single estimate as definitive. The Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association also cited uncertainty in HMRC’s estimates of the illicit tobacco tax gap.

  • Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025

    Cigarette Seizures in Finland Already Double 2025

    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.

  • Germany Busts Ring that Imported 7.6M Illegal Vapes

    Germany Busts Ring that Imported 7.6M Illegal Vapes

    German customs investigators announced over the weekend that they are investigating an alleged international network accused of illegally importing nicotine-containing disposable e-cigarettes from China and selling them on Germany’s black market. Authorities said the manufacturer structure allegedly imported more than 7.6 million disposable vapes between January 2024 and March 2025, resulting in an estimated €33.3 million in unpaid excise taxes.

    The investigation covers 23 defendants, including four employees of a Chinese e-cigarette manufacturer and 19 Germany-based individuals allegedly involved in receiving and reselling the products. Authorities executed 13 arrest warrants and seized more than 100 pallets containing about 600,000 illegal vapes, with estimated tax losses of €4 million. Investigators also seized four properties, a vehicle, luxury watches, gold jewelry, gold bars, cash valued at more than €2.25 million, and 37 bank accounts. The investigation is being led by the Essen Customs Investigation Office on behalf of the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor’s Office. All defendants are presumed innocent unless convicted.

  • Hungary Emerging as Key Link in EU’s Illegal Cigarette Trade 

    Hungary Emerging as Key Link in EU’s Illegal Cigarette Trade 

    Hungary is emerging as an important production hub in Europe’s illegal cigarette trade, according to a recent investigation by French broadcaster TF1, which visited clandestine factories previously dismantled by Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV). The report found that criminal groups are operating sophisticated production facilities capable of manufacturing hundreds of thousands of cigarettes, using industrial equipment, specialized logistics, and extensive networks to move products into Western Europe. NAV has recently seized large quantities of tobacco, counterfeit cigarettes, and manufacturing equipment, including a 2025 operation that confiscated 156 tons of tobacco and more than 1 million packs of counterfeit cigarettes.  

    The investigation comes as Europe’s illicit cigarette market remains substantial. KPMG estimates that 41.8 billion illegal cigarettes were consumed in the EU in 2025, representing 10.3% of total consumption and an estimated €16.7 billion in lost tax revenue. France was the largest illicit market, with about 20.5 billion illegal cigarettes consumed, while TF1 identified Eastern Europe, particularly Hungary, as an important source of supply. KPMG data also indicate that counterfeit production is becoming more prominent, with Hungary among the countries recording large volumes seized in factory raids.  

    NAV has also reported a 2026 operation targeting a Hungarian illegal factory linked to a cross-border criminal organization, underscoring the continuing challenge of dismantling networks that combine manufacturing, storage, transport, and sales across multiple European markets. 

  • Illegal Cigarette Trade Costs Suriname $40M 

    Illegal Cigarette Trade Costs Suriname $40M 

    Illegal cigarette trading remains a major challenge in Suriname, with government revenue losses estimated at $40 million per year, according to a presentation to the parliamentary committee overseeing the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The presentation linked the expansion of smuggling to tax increases introduced in 2006, noting that illicit trade persists despite periods of improvement. Smugglers are moving both genuine cigarettes and counterfeit “cheap whites” into the country. 

    Authorities also highlighted links between cigarette smuggling and other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, weapons trading, and money laundering. Free-trade zones remain an important enforcement challenge, with importers and traders continually developing new methods to evade detection. 

    The presentation called for greater coordination among finance, trade, security and public-health authorities to address the illicit market and protect government revenues. 

  • China, Australia Bust $64M Tobacco Syndicate

    China, Australia Bust $64M Tobacco Syndicate

    Australian and Chinese authorities worked to dismantle an international syndicate accused of shipping illegal tobacco into Australia, with more than 60 people arrested in China. The Australian Border Force said the syndicate shipped more than 90 containers of tobacco to Australia between January and May. Authorities seized more than 60 million cigarettes and 60 kilograms of loose-leaf tobacco, with the tobacco valued at more than A$92 million ($64.4 million) based on the taxes allegedly evaded. Chinese authorities said the tobacco was likely manufactured and moved through Southeast Asia before being concealed in legitimate cargo bound for Australia.

    Ninety-one of the 112 containers flagged by Chinese authorities were found to contain illegal tobacco. Shipments left Shanghai concealed among goods including printers and lamps and largely arrived at Sydney port.

    Australia has experienced a sharp increase in illicit tobacco consumption in recent years. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that 80% of tobacco and other nicotine products consumed in the country are now illicit, compared with 12% in 2017.

  • Indian Consumer Group Calls for Illicit Trade Task Force

    Indian Consumer Group Calls for Illicit Trade Task Force

    India’s Consumer Online Foundation (COF) urged the Prime Minister’s Office to establish a National Task Force on Illicit Tobacco Trade under the Cabinet Secretariat or PMO to combat the growing market for smuggled cigarettes, counterfeit tobacco products, and illegal nicotine products. In a letter to the government, the consumer advocacy group said illicit trade is undermining India’s tobacco control efforts by eroding tax revenues, bypassing health regulations and age restrictions, and strengthening organized crime.

    The COF proposed a multi-agency task force involving the ministries of health, finance, home affairs, and commerce, along with customs and enforcement agencies, to develop a national anti-illicit tobacco strategy focused on intelligence-led enforcement, border security, counterfeit manufacturing, market surveillance, and consumer reporting. The foundation also called for a 100-day action plan and pointed to international experience, including Australia, arguing that tobacco taxation must be supported by robust enforcement to prevent consumers from shifting to illegal markets.