the
risks
A DANGER
WITH MULTIPLE CONSEQUENCES
Behind the apparent triviality of a purchase abroad or online, tobacco trafficking represents a real economic, legal, security, and health scourge. It deprives the State and industry players of essential resources, fuels international criminal networks, and circulates products whose quality is completely uncontrolled. This illegal trade, often perceived as a way to pay less, nevertheless leads to considerable losses, weakens the economic fabric, and poses real dangers to public health.
THE ECONOMIC
IMPACT
Billion €
IN STATE TAX LOSSES IN 2023
Source: Tobacco evading national taxation, Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (DGDDI) and Interministerial Mission for Combating Drugs and Addictive Behavior (MILDECA), October 2025.
M€
IN LOSSES FOR TOBACCO RETAILERS
Source: EY-Parthenon Report, December 2024.
%
DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF SALES OUTLETS (TOBACCO RETAILERS) SINCE 2002
Source: Impact of Tobacco Taxation in the Territories, EY-Parthenon, November 2025.
%
LOCAL SHOPS ILLEGALLY SELL TOBACCO PRODUCTS DESPITE THE LEGAL MONOPOLY OF TOBACCO RETAILERS
Source: Ifop, December 2024.
LEGAL
RISKS
THE RULES
Source: Reporting tobacco abroad (EU zone) – Public Service
| Maximum quantity of tobacco that may be brought back from a European country (EU zone) | Quantities |
|---|---|
| Cigarettes | 800 units, or 4 cartridges |
| Smoking tobacco (rolling tobacco, shisha tobacco, and other tobaccos) | 1 kg |
| Cigars | 200 units |
| Cigarillos (cigars with a maximum weight of 3 grams/piece) | 400 units |
POSSIBLE PENALTIES
Source: Report on Tobacco Abroad – Public Service
If I possess counterfeit products
(Article L716-10 of the Intellectual Property Code)
Depending on the circumstances:
- Three years in prison and up to a €300,000 fine
During customs inspection:
- Confiscation of tobacco products
If the buyer is aware that they are purchasing a counterfeit product, this may be classified as receiving stolen goods (Article 321-1 of the Penal Code).
Depending on the circumstances:
- Five years in prison and a €375,000 fine
If I purchase from a third party products brought in from abroad qualified as receiving stolen goods in violation of the rules (Article R644-3 of the Penal Code)
During customs inspection:
- Purchasing outside the official network: fine of up to €750 (4th class offence)
AT THE HEART OF COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTE SEIZURES
SECURITY
RISKS
COUNTERFEIT CIGARETTE TRAFFICKING IS ATTRACTIVE TO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL NETWORKS.
- Illegal tobacco trade is highly profitable and poses few risks for criminal networks.
- The legal and criminal penalties incurred are generally less severe than for other comparable serious offenses.
- Criminal groups involved in the illegal tobacco trade adopt operating methods similar to those observed in drug trafficking.
- Tobacco trafficking is associated with forced labor, settling of scores, extreme violence, as well as other forms of trafficking commissioned and executed by particularly dangerous international criminal organizations.