More than 27 tonnes of tobacco were seized during an operation across France called
“Colbert II”
, the equivalent of 20 million euros in revenue for the State, the general directorate of customs announced on Friday.
“From March 20 to 27, more than 27 tons of tobacco were seized by 10,100 state agents, i.e. three times more than during the first Colbert operation which took place in June 2023,”
details the general directorate of customs in a press release.
In
“a single week, the equivalent of 20 million euros in revenue for the State. We must fight fiercely against tobacco trafficking
,” said Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts Thomas Cazenave on Sud Radio. Aix-en-Provence customs officers made the largest seizure of the operation, on the road, with 10.4 tonnes of cigarettes.
521 tonnes of tobacco seized in 2023
In total, the operation resulted in 108 arrests and the opening of 52 files requesting administrative closures. Operation Colbert II, developed as part of the national anti-fraud operational group (Gonaf), is part of the national plan to combat tobacco trafficking 2023-2025. Tobacco trafficking is booming: customs services seized 521 tonnes of tobacco last year, after the record for 2022 with 649 tonnes.
Since December 2021, the authorities have dismantled five clandestine cigarette manufacturing factories in France, a veritable cash machine for criminal organizations, often specializing in drug trafficking, which are seeking to diversify.