The largest illegal cigarette factory ever discovered in Belgium was dismantled on Thursday in Lommel (Limbourg), Belgian customs confirmed on Friday.
The raid took place around 17:30 in a warehouse on Gerard Mercatorlaan. Authorities uncovered a fully operational production facility with four complete production and packaging lines, running 24/7.
Approximately 50 people, mainly of Ukrainian, Moldovan, and Romanian nationality, were found at the site.
The 30 million seized cigarettes, discovered in two trucks parked near the building, represent over €14.4 million in evaded taxes.
Customs officers also confiscated several tonnes of tobacco and various branded cigarettes stored in the warehouse.
This is the first clandestine factory uncovered in 2025, following a record year in 2024 when twelve illegal cigarette production sites were dismantled.
