Luxembourg Customs Uncovers 1.9 million Cigarettes Smuggled from China

On Wednesday 9 February 2022, Luxembourg's Ministry of Finance communicated that the Customs and Excise Administration (Administration des douanes et accises - ADA) has uncovered and seized 1.9 million cigarettes smuggled from China.

Destined for the United Kingdom, the merchandise was concealed among clothing, shoes, food, electronics and personal effects. In total, for this discovery, customs checked around 2,400 packages at the Findel Cargocenter. This corresponds to approximately seventeen tonnes of postal items. 24 customs officers worked for three months in three shifts.

Luxembourg's Minister of Finance, Yuriko Backes, came in person and congratulated the officials of the customs administration. She said: "You take on multiple tasks and protect our trade, consumers and our health. Congratulations on this record discovery!" She underlined the excellent work of customs, which must take into account the evolution of European rules as well as that of the flow of goods.

Luxembourg customs tracked down the smugglers, thanks to information from the UK counterparts. In late August 2021, authorities seized contraband cigarettes in the UK hidden in postal shipments from China. The goods had been airlifted to Luxembourg and then transported to Great Britain by a transport company, as there were no longer any direct flights between the Luxembourg airport and Great Britain due to the pandemic.

During a new delivery of seventeen tonnes by the same company in September 2021, Luxembourg customs were informed. Alain Bellot, director of the ADA, explains his administration's approach: "The ADA examined a sample of packets using an X-ray machine and found that uncleared cigarettes were hidden in almost all packages. Each package of this consignment was then individually checked as part of a meticulous operation – with success”.

The cigarettes from mainland China consist of a mixture of Chinese brands as well as well-known and counterfeit brands. The seized goods are now destroyed under supervision. In the meantime, the ADA has intensified its contacts with the British authorities in order to exchange information on the seizures. At the end of 2021, ADA created a unit specialising in cigarette smuggling. In 2021, the cargo volume of Luxembourg airport exceeded the one million tonne mark for the first time, with a total of 1.125 million tonnes, a record increase of 19% compared to 2020.