a CONCERNING
SITUATION
WHY
THIS SITUATION
IS IT CONCERNING?
In France, counterfeit cigarette trafficking has reached an unprecedented scale and is experiencing exponential growth. Manufactured without any health controls, these cigarettes are produced by criminal organizations established within the country.
EUROPE’S #1 COUNTRY FOR COUNTERFEITING.
FRANCE ACCOUNTS FOR NEARLY
OF CIGARETTE TRAFFICKING, INCLUDING COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTES, WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION.
Source: Consumption of Illicit Cigarettes in Europe and France, KPMG, June 2025.
OF CIGARETTE PACKS CONSUMED IN FRANCE ARE COUNTERFEIT.
Source: Empty Pack Survey, France Q2 2025, WSPM Group, September 2025.
NEARLY
OF
BILLION
COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTES CONSUMED IN FRANCE IN 2024
Source: Consumption of Illicit Cigarettes in Europe and France, KPMG, June 2025.
+
COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTES CONSUMED BETWEEN 2023 AND 2024.
Source: KPMG 2024 Report on Illicit Cigarette Consumption in Europe published in June 2025.
FRENCH AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL NETWORKS BEHIND
COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTE TRAFFICKING
The networks that organize the production, distribution, and sale of counterfeit cigarettes use the same operating methods as for drug trafficking, but with a much lower risk of criminal penalty.
MANUFACTURING IN
CLANDESTINE FACTORIES
Counterfeit cigarettes are manufactured in clandestine factories located in the heart of Europe (Poland, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic, for example) but also closer to the French borders (Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain).
From 2021 to 2025, the phenomenon has spread to France with 8 factories dismantled.
EVOLUTION OF SEIZURES
BY CUSTOMS SINCE 2018 (IN TONNES)
DISMANTLEMENT
OF ILLEGAL TOBACCO FACTORIES IN FRANCE
The seizures of illegal factories in France reveal the extent of this trafficking, which affects the economy, security, and society as a whole.
THE SCOURGE OF ILLEGAL COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTE SALES
CRIMINAL NETWORKS AND THE ILLEGAL SALE OF TOBACCO
AN UNDENIABLE LINK
- These criminal networks don’t just traffic tobacco. They are involved in other large-scale crimes such as drug trafficking, homicides, and money laundering.
- They can be dangerous, violent and often use weapons.
- Workers employed by organized crime networks working in tobacco factories are exposed to forced labor conditions. They are unable to leave the premises for very long periods (modern slavery).
- The money these gangs make from the sale of illegal tobacco is laundered and used to finance other criminal activities.