Three people have been charged after French police dismantled a counterfeit cigarette trafficking network supplying the Lille metropolitan area, with losses estimated at €12 million, according to the gendarmerie.
Investigators said the network had organised 120 deliveries from Belgium to the Lille area since December 2025. Each convoy is believed to have brought in about 7,500 packets of cigarettes, on average.
The counterfeit cigarettes were then sold through social media, particularly Snapchat, according to the Lille research section.
Those charged are the suspected ringleader and two sellers, Lieutenant Colonel Cécile Lambert, head of the Lille research section, told AFP. She added that two of the suspects had previous criminal records, including one for drug trafficking.
The cigarettes copied Marlboro branding and were sold in plain packets similar to those used on the French market.
Searches at the homes and storage sites of the three suspects, as well as at the address of a fourth person interviewed as a voluntary witness, led to the seizure of 600 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes and €223,500 in cash and various drugs, the gendarmerie said.
The drugs included one kilogram of cannabis and 400 grams of cocaine.
The investigation has also led to a separate case involving suspected aggravated money laundering and illegal employment, the gendarmerie said, adding that further asset seizures could follow.
Since the start of the year, Belgian authorities have dismantled 11 clandestine cigarette factories and seized a total of 180 million counterfeit cigarettes.
