Belgian customs seizes 13 million counterfeit cigarettes headed to France
As a result of customs services cooperation from Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Liège, 13 million counterfeit cigarettes have been discovered in a coffee roaster in the Flemish city of Berlare. This seizure is part of a larger investigation into cigarette smuggling from Belgium to France, the Belgian FPS Finance announced this Wednesday 1 June in a press release.
The coffee roasting factory served as a cover for the trade in counterfeit cigarettes. Customs also found 1.8 tonnes of coffee there, on which excise duty had indeed been paid. For the cigarettes, 5.125 million euros in excise duties and VAT are due, which the State treasury misses out on.
The counterfeit cigarettes come from four different brands: Marlboro Red, Marlboro Gold, Lambert & Butler and Rothmans.
Since the beginning of this year, the Belgian customs have already seized 193 million cigarettes. In 2021 and 2020, there were respectively 279 and 410 million cigarettes seized by customs services.
(VIV)
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© BELGA PHOTO (JOHN THYS) A custom officer in Zeebrugge, Belgium.