Customs seized more than 210,000 cigarettes at Luxembourg airport

Between 29 August and 3 October 2025, officers from the Luxembourg Customs and Excise Administration (Administration des douanes et accises) carried out one of the largest tobacco smuggling operations in recent years. At Luxembourg airport, they seized 1,051 cartons of cigarettes, representing 210,385 units smuggled from countries outside the European Union.

According to the administration, smuggled cigarettes were found in the luggage of passengers arriving in the country, mainly from Turkey and Armenia. In one case, the smugglers resorted to a particularly sophisticated ruse, forging luggage tags to make it appear that the luggage had come from an intra-Union flight and was therefore not subject to additional customs controls.

The products were intended to be sold illegally within the EU, thus circumventing the taxation system and offering the goods at a lower price, damaging the budget and honest business. The authorities remind that tobacco smuggling is not just an administrative offence, but a serious threat to the economy, creating illegal distribution channels and undermining the tax system.

Criminal proceedings have already been initiated against those involved, and the administration emphasises that it will continue to strengthen controls, especially at key transport hubs such as Luxembourg airport.