有组织犯罪集团在欧盟推动非法烟草工厂激增

欧洲审计法院周二发布报告警示，有组织犯罪集团已在几乎所有欧盟成员国建立了非法烟草工厂1。根据该报告，欧盟约十分之一的香烟为非法生产或走私，2023年非法烟草产品占总香烟消费的8.8%1，每年造成约130亿欧元的税收损失1。

犯罪分子采用先进设备和经验丰富的技术人员运营这些工厂，通过分散多个设施、在边境地区定位等手段逃避执法1。比利时警方去年查获的一家大型工厂拥有50名工人和4条生产线，每小时可产100万支香烟1；西班牙查获的最大非法工厂中收缴了300万包香烟（价值约1500万欧元）和5吨烟草（价值约500万欧元），20人被捕，查获产品销往6个欧盟国家1。法国当局上月查获的一起跨境行动显示，自去年12月以来向里尔市进行了120次交付，每次7500包1。非法工厂通常运营2至4个月后就会转移1。

欧洲审计法院报告员彼得里·萨瓦玛表示，"犯罪分子之所以成功不是因为欧洲缺乏立法，而是协调、信息和执法存在漏洞"1。

The European Court of Auditors released a report on Tuesday revealing that illegal tobacco trade is flourishing throughout the European Union, with approximately one in ten cigarettes being illegally produced or smuggled, resulting in roughly €13 billion in annual tax losses.1 In 2023, illicit tobacco products accounted for 8.8 percent of total cigarette consumption across the bloc.1

Organised crime networks have established clandestine manufacturing facilities in nearly every EU member state, deploying sophisticated equipment and experienced technicians to evade law enforcement authorities.1 Belgian police dismantled a major illicit factory last year that employed 50 workers operating four production lines capable of manufacturing one million cigarettes per hour.1 In Spain, authorities seized what was identified as the country's largest illegal operation, confiscating three million cigarette packs valued at €15 million and five tonnes of tobacco worth €5 million, with 20 arrests made and products destined for six EU nations.1 French authorities conducted a cross-border operation last month targeting a network that had been supplying the city of Lille since December of the previous year, conducting 120 deliveries of 7,500 packs each.1

The clandestine factories typically remain operational for only two to four months before being discovered.1 According to Petri Sarvamaa, "illegal production sites have been found in almost every EU member state," and he noted that "criminals succeed not because Europe lacks legislation, but because there are gaps in coordination, information sharing, and enforcement."1