On October 10th, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) collaborated with the Irish Revenue and Customs Department to host the annual OLAF Tobacco Conference in Dublin, Ireland from October 8th to 10th.
The organization emphasized that the goal of this meeting is to establish stronger, more stable, and better coordinated international efforts to combat illegal tobacco trade, in order to protect public health, safeguard incomes, and disrupt illegal networks involved in smuggling activities.
Representatives from customs and national police agencies of EU member states and third countries, the World Customs Organization, Europol, and industry stakeholders, among over 90 key stakeholders, participated in this meeting.
OLAF presented an overview of the development of waterpipes and new tobacco products at the meeting, including tobacco pouches, heated tobacco products, and e-cigarettes. The agency stated that illegal tobacco trade poses a significant threat to public health, causing the EU and its member states to lose a large amount of tax revenue and fueling the activities of organized crime networks. It undermines anti-smoking and public health initiatives, and violates the strict regulations of the EU and its member states on production, distribution, and sales. In 2023, OLAF seized 616 million illegal cigarettes, 140 tons of raw tobacco, and 6 tons of waterpipe tobacco in international operations, recovering approximately 150 million euros in revenue losses for the EU.
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