On September 9 (local time), dozens of Belgian customs officers raided a factory producing smuggled cigarettes in a warehouse near the town of Ninove, in the central part of the country.
Security forces arrested 11 subjects and seized 4.5 million cigarettes.
This is the 12th facility dismantled by Belgian authorities in 2026.
The September 9 crackdown was coordinated by the European Police Agency (Europol), with the presence of an agency official at the scene.
According to customs officers, the facility was discovered in an "standard" industrial park. The warehouse is located hidden at the end of the parking lot of a discount store and is equipped with a complete production line.
To hide production activities, this place was renovated into a closed residence with beds, a bathing area, a kitchen and a gym area. The facility has no windows, to prevent neighbors from discovering what is happening inside.
Authorities are clarifying the link between the arrested people and criminal networks, and determining the time the chain operated. Warehouse rental contracts are considered one of the focal points for investigation.
Belgian customs said that this country has become an important stronghold for smuggling rings, specializing in bringing cheap counterfeit cigarettes into Western European markets. Last year alone, Belgian customs seized about 200 million counterfeit cigarettes, equivalent to 97 million euros (113 million USD) in taxes and other revenues.
The situation of smuggling cigarettes causes 27 European Union (EU) countries to lose about 13 billion euros (about 15 billion USD) per year. The European Audit Office's report stated that about 1/10 of cigarettes consumed in the EU are smuggled or illegally produced.
Smuggled cigarette production is increasing across the EU, while coordination between countries is not effective enough to prevent criminal rings from expanding.
