Belgium: an illegal cigarette factory dismantled in Hainaut

Belgian authorities have dealt another blow to tobacco trafficking with the discovery of a large clandestine cigarette factory in the province of Hainaut. The operation again highlights the growing scale of the illicit tobacco trade in Europe and the increasingly sophisticated organisation of the criminal networks involved.

A full factory hidden in an isolated warehouse

It was in the municipality of Thuin, in the province of Hainaut, that the Belgian customs service and the federal judicial police uncovered an illegal facility of considerable size. Concealed in an isolated building, the factory had a complete production line capable of manufacturing cigarettes at an industrial rate.

On site, investigators found all the equipment needed for production: tobacco cutting machines, manufacturing equipment, packaging systems and large quantities of raw material intended to feed the line.

Seven people present at the site were arrested during the operation. According to the authorities, they were mainly foreign nationals recruited to keep the facility running.

A phenomenon growing in Belgium

The discovery is not an isolated case. Since the beginning of 2026, several similar clandestine factories have been dismantled on Belgian soil. The authorities are observing a growing number of illegal production sites, evidence that Belgium has become a strategic point for tobacco smuggling networks.

Customs services are particularly concerned. In only a few years, the black market in tobacco has grown strongly in the country. Smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes are now said to account for a significant share of national consumption.

Why does Belgium attract traffickers?

Several factors explain this. Belgium's geographical position, at the heart of western Europe, makes it easy to redistribute goods to many neighbouring countries, France, the Netherlands and Germany among them.

Differences in tobacco taxation between European states also encourage trafficking. Criminal organisations exploit those gaps to supply a particularly profitable parallel market.

Clandestine factories are generally set up in discreet warehouses or in industrial buildings with little traffic. The networks then recruit foreign workers to keep production running, sometimes around the clock.

Considerable tax losses

Beyond the criminal offences, the illicit tobacco trade represents a significant shortfall for public finances. Cigarettes produced illegally escape both excise duty and VAT.

Every year the phenomenon deprives European states of hundreds of millions of euros in tax revenue. Legal manufacturers and tobacconists also bear the consequences of this unfair competition.

The authorities further point out that products from clandestine channels are subject to no health controls at all. Their actual composition often remains unknown, which can represent an additional risk for consumers.

A stronger fight against criminal networks

Faced with the growth of the black market in tobacco, European customs services are increasing joint operations to identify and dismantle illegal production channels. Cooperation between countries now appears to be an essential lever against these transnational organisations.

The dismantling of this new clandestine factory in Belgium illustrates the determination of the authorities to fight a trade that is both highly profitable and constantly evolving.