4 months Ago
Massive Operation Discovered
The illegal factory was found inside a professionally equipped warehouse, which included a complete cigarette production line and living quarters for workers, suggesting long-term, large-scale activity. The raid was carried out by the Tobacco Task Force, a joint team made up of the FIOD and Dutch Customs.
Investigators confiscated around 320,000 finished cigarettes, 45,000 kilograms of tobacco, and various materials used for cigarette production. All goods and machinery have been seized and removed for destruction.
Significant Financial Loss Prevented
According to the FIOD, if the illegal cigarettes had reached the market, the Dutch treasury would have lost an estimated €20 million in excise tax revenue. Authorities stressed that tax evasion involving unpaid excise duties and sales tax is a criminal offence and a serious blow to the national economy.
In a statement, officials warned that the illegal tobacco trade allows criminal organisations to make enormous profits, fosters the accumulation of illicit wealth, and damages public health efforts. It also creates unfair competition for legal tobacco sellers and undermines anti-smoking regulations.
Ongoing Criminal Investigation
The investigation is being overseen by the Functional Prosecutor's Office, which specialises in financial and economic crimes. The Tobacco Task Force, also known as Combiteam Smoke, continues its mission to dismantle similar illegal networks across the Netherlands.
