Dutch authorities seized 1.2 million counterfeit cigarettes from a van near the German border during a joint Dutch-German police operation on the A7 near Bad Nieuweschans, arresting one suspect and transferring the case to customs for investigation. The seizure brings total illicit cigarette seizures in the Netherlands to 106 million so far this year, as authorities step up enforcement against tobacco smuggling amid high cigarette prices that have fueled demand for black market and cross-border tobacco purchases.
Tag: Netherlands
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Dutch Authorities Trying to Break ‘Fixed Revenue Model’ of Illicit Cigs
Dutch Customs announced that it seized 106 million illicit cigarettes during the first half of 2026 as authorities intensified efforts against what officials describe as an increasingly important revenue source for organized crime. The majority of the illegal cigarettes were intercepted in sea containers, prompting Customs to expand its joint enforcement unit with the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) and deploy new detection algorithms at Schiphol Airport to identify travelers carrying excess tobacco products.
Customs Director-General Nanette van Schelve said tobacco smuggling has become a “fixed revenue model” for criminal networks alongside cannabis, with the Netherlands’ high tobacco excise taxes continuing to make the illicit trade attractive.
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Netherlands Makes One of the Largest Illicit Nicotine Busts in Its History
Dutch authorities seized 277,000 illegal flavored vapes and 150,000 nicotine pouches in one of the country’s largest enforcement actions against illicit nicotine products. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) said customs officers discovered the flavored vapes during a routine inspection of a haulage company’s warehouse in Rotterdam, while the nicotine pouches were found at storage facilities in Rotterdam and Utrecht.
Officials believe the products were destined for the Dutch black market. All seized products were destroyed, with disposal costs charged to the warehouse owners.
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Netherlands Provided PMI €1M for Subsidized Carbon Improvements
The Dutch government awarded more than €1 million in climate subsidies to Philip Morris between 2023 and 2025 under its VEKI program, which supports industrial investments aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The funding was used at the company’s Bergen op Zoom factory to replace a natural gas installation with a heat pump system that reuses waste heat from production, improving energy efficiency and lowering emissions. Philip Morris received €373,000 in 2023, €560,000 in 2024, and €103,000 in 2025, according to Dutch broadcaster RTL Z.
The subsidies drew attention because they were awarded to a tobacco manufacturer despite the Netherlands’ broader efforts to reduce smoking through higher tobacco taxes and tighter retail restrictions. The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth said the sustainability program operates independently of tobacco control policy, arguing that while tobacco production remains legal, manufacturers are eligible for climate funding if they meet the scheme’s requirements. The ministry emphasized that the subsidies support emissions reductions rather than tobacco production.
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Netherlands Rules Out Disposable Vape, Filter Bans
The Dutch cabinet ruled out introducing a national ban on disposable vapes and cigarette filters, saying legal constraints make such measures unworkable domestically and that regulation should instead be handled at the EU level in the Netherlands.
In a letter to parliament, ministers cited research showing a filter ban could reduce microplastic pollution without increasing health risks, but argued enforcement would be weak because consumers could easily switch to imports or illicit markets. They also said a national ban on disposable vapes would conflict with EU tobacco rules, despite concerns about environmental damage and fire risks linked to waste processing incidents.
The cabinet said it will instead push for a Europe-wide ban in Brussels and continue enforcement against illegal vape trade, while flavored vapes are already prohibited in the country.
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Dutch Report Raises Concerns Over Big Tobacco Getting into Cannabis
A new investigative report by Investico, De Groene Amsterdammer, and NU.nl is intensifying scrutiny of tobacco-linked investment in the Netherlands’ regulated cannabis experiment, highlighting concerns over industry influence in emerging legal cannabis markets. The report cites ownership ties linking Altria Group to CanAdelaar, the largest licensed cannabis grower in the Dutch pilot program, through its stake in Cronos Group, which agreed in December 2025 to acquire CanAdelaar for €57.5 million.
The investigation draws on interviews with addiction and tobacco policy experts who warn that major tobacco companies are increasingly treating cannabis as part of a broader diversification strategy, alongside nicotine and vapor products. Researchers cited in the report raise concerns about industry-funded studies and communications shaping cannabis narratives, including work linked to subsidiaries associated with Philip Morris International. The article frames the issue as part of a wider debate over how established tobacco firms may influence regulatory frameworks and scientific discourse as governments test legalized cannabis supply models.
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Dutch Authorities Seizing Large Quantities of Illicit Products
Dutch authorities seized large volumes of illicit nicotine products in a series of enforcement actions over the last two weeks, including nearly 220,000 illegal vapes, more than 50,000 boxes of banned nicotine pouches, and 23 million illicit cigarettes. The total value of the items would roughly be in the €14–20 million range.
The seizures, carried out by the NVWA and FIOD, targeted storage sites and shipping containers across Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant, with officials noting the products—many of them flavored—violated national regulations. Eight suspects have been arrested in connection with the cigarette seizures, with authorities estimating potential tax losses of nearly €9 million.
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Dutch Flavor Ban Backfires: Report
A report by advocacy group Prohibition Does Not Work (PDNW) claims the Netherlands’ 2024 ban on flavored vaping “backfired,” with over half of consumers reportedly shifting to illicit or cross-border sources. The report states that youth vaping rates increased from 3.7% in 2023 to 7.6% in 2024, while adult vaping declined from 3.86% to 2.3% by 2026. It also cites data indicating that 27% of users purchased products abroad, 31% used illicit online sellers, and 33% continued to access products through local retail channels despite the ban.
According to the report, cigarette consumption rose by approximately 1% in 2024, equivalent to around 60 million additional cigarettes, while 27% of former vapers reported increased smoking or initiation after the policy change. The findings also note that 42% of inspected retailers were non-compliant and that most consumers reported ease of access to flavored products. PDNW said the data reflects a shift toward unregulated channels following the restriction, with implications for enforcement and market oversight.
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Dutch Tobacco Revenues Decline Despite Tax Hikes
Tobacco excise revenues in the Netherlands fell to €2.55 billion in 2025 from nearly €3 billion a year earlier, despite multiple tax increases, according to Statistics Netherlands. Cigarette excise duties have doubled since 2020, while taxes on smoking tobacco have more than tripled, pushing the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes to €7.81.
The decline in revenue coincides with falling smoking rates and shifting consumer behavior. The share of smokers dropped from one in four in 2015 to one in six in 2025, while daily smoking also declined. At the same time, more consumers are purchasing tobacco abroad, with cross-border buying rising significantly, and vaping uptake increasing in recent years.
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Dutch Retailers Keep Selling Illegal Vapes Despite Fines
Hundreds of retailers across the Netherlands continue selling illegal flavored vapes and supplying minors despite repeated penalties, according to reporting by RTL Nieuws based on enforcement data from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. Records show 244 businesses were fined at least twice over four years, with 72 receiving five fines and six racking up 10 or more; one seller was issued a 14th fine during an inspection observed by reporters and said stopping sales was “not worth it.”
Inspectors say nearly half of vape checks ended in a fine or warning, but current penalties — ranging from €1,360 for a first offense to a maximum cumulative €22,500 — are failing to deter persistent violators. Administrative law professor Herman Bröring of the University of Groningen told RTL the system is “not working well enough,” while NVWA officials acknowledged sellers are increasingly hiding stock to evade checks as the agency adapts its inspection tactics.