BELGIUM
An illegal cigarette factory was dismantled near the city of Namur, ending a months-long investigation by customs authorities into an illicit cigarette trade worth an estimated EUR6 million.
Around 25 million cigarettes, equivalent to over a million packets, and 10 tons of tobacco were seized, together with manufacturing and packaging tools found in a factory in Tamines, located between the cities of Charleroi and Namur.
Agents searched the warehouse, where they found 15 employees as well as living facilities such as a kitchen, several rooms, and even a gym. The packaging on the cigarettes indicated that the products were destined for Greece, Turkey, and the UK.