On Wednesday, customs seized 4.38 million counterfeit cigarettes in the Port of Zeebrugge, West Flanders.
According to a Thursday statement by Ministry of Finance, the confiscated goods represent an equivalent of €2.1 million in excise and VAT.
The fraudulent Marlboro cigarettes originated from Cambodia. They were destined for Libya, but the shipment was forced to detour via Zeebrugge to the situation in the Red Sea.
Belgian customs report they have already confiscated close to 32 million cigarettes in 2024. In the previous year, seizures involved slightly over 345 million counterfeit cigarettes.
Credit: Belgian Ministry of Finance
