EU Loses €13bn to Illicit Cigarette Trade, Crime Syndicates Expand

Organised crime networks are operating illegal cigarette factories across nearly every EU member state, causing the bloc to lose €13 billion in tax revenue annually. A watchdog report found that one in 10 cigarettes sold in the EU are illicit products. The surge underscores the scale of smuggling operations and revenue leakage from member states' tobacco taxation systems.