Antwerp customs seize 25 million contraband cigs

18 June 2004

ANTWERP – Customs officers in the Belgian North sea port of Antwerp have seized 25 million contraband cigarettes stashed in three shipping containers destined for black market sales in Belgium worth an estimated EUR 5.13 million.

The haul, which was shipped from Gambia, was made up entirely of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes, the packets wrapped with the Belgian tax stamp.

The Antwerp customs office claimed the find, made at the end of May, confirmed their belief that international tobacco smugglers were targeting Antwerp and warned the public that counterfeit cigarettes often hold higher nicotine and tar levels than those manufactured legally.

Subject: Belgian news