Nearly 11.5 tons of counterfeit cigarettes from an international smuggling network were seized Friday in La Pacaudière (Loire), we learned Saturday from the prosecutor's office in Roanne (Loire).

The cargo, worth an estimated nearly 6 million euros, was on board a truck registered in Latvia, which was traveling on the National Road 7 towards Paris.

The driver in custody

The vehicle, which originated in Spain, was officially carrying radiators bound for Britain when it was checked by customs. Its driver, a 46-year-old Latvian, was questioned in custody in Saint-Etienne on Saturday by the judicial customs investigation service.

"He will be presented to the Roanne prosecutor's office on Sunday morning for an immediate appearance on Wednesday before the criminal court," said Abdelkrim Grini, public prosecutor.



Record seizures

The 11.44 tons of cigarettes were packaged in packages to the British brand Superkings, owned by Imperial Tobacco, said the same source.

Seizures of contraband tobacco reached a new record last year in France with 640.1 tons of tobacco and cigarettes intercepted (including 47 tons in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region), against 402 tons in 2021 (+59.2%), with the dismantling of several clandestine tobacco manufacturing factories in France, according to a report drawn up by customs last February.

  • Society
  • Miscellaneous facts
  • Cigarette
  • Smuggling
  • Tobacco
  • Counterfeit
  • Traffic