Credit: europol.eu /    Some of the 25,000,000 cigarettes seized from criminal network in Belgium. 

DIPLOMATIC TIMES STAFF

The Belgian Customs and Excise Administration (Administration générale des Douanes et Accises) last Tuesday dismantled a large criminal network in an operation supported by the Belgium Federal Police (Police Fédérale belge) and Europol. The criminals illegally produced cigarettes in the surroundings of the Belgian cities of Namur and Charleroi. During the operation, the Belgian authorities seized 10 tonnes of tobacco and 25 million cigarettes, ready to sell. The Customs and Excise Investigation Team of Charleroi discovered professional cigarette manufacturing machines during a raid on a warehouse. The facility was also fully furnished with beds, a kitchen and even a gym. The Belgian authorities searched six other warehouses and one private property. A printing set-up was seized from one of the warehouses.

Europol,  headquartered  in The Hague, the Netherlands,  is the European Union’s law enforcement agency.

Europol supported the Belgian customs authorities by providing expertise and deploying a mobile office for crosschecks against Europol’s databases.  Europol  backs  the 28 EU Member States in their fight against terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime.  Europol also  works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations.