Key Takeaways
- OLAF and customs authorities from 30 countries carried out “JCO VAPE” targeting illicit trade in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
- The operation ran from November 14 to December 15, 2025 and was the first EU and international Joint Customs Operation focused specifically on this product category.
- The operation resulted in seizures of more than 94 million items and more than 2,500 kg/l of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, devices, and related goods.
- Seized goods included more than 1.9 million e-cigarettes, 1,551 pieces of e-cigarette liquids, and nearly 61,000 heated tobacco products; Belgium reported the largest e-cigarette seizure with 1.7 million pieces.
- OLAF said consignments were misdeclared under categories such as toys, towels, clothing, shoes, shelves, earphones, glass cups, and essential oils, and that most seized goods were non-compliant with national laws.
2Firsts, April 20, 2026
According to a press release from the European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF and customs authorities from 30 countries successfully carried out “JCO VAPE,” a joint operation targeting the illicit trade in e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.
The operation seized more than 94 million related items
OLAF said the Joint Customs Operation resulted in the seizure of more than 94 million items and more than 2,500 kg/l of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, devices, and related goods. The operation ran from November 14 to December 15, 2025 and marked the first EU and international Joint Customs Operation specifically focused on this rapidly growing commodity.
Authorities from 23 EU member states and 7 non-EU countries took part
The operation was led by OLAF, with Italian and Lithuanian customs as co-leaders. Participants included 23 EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as well as 7 non-EU partner countries, including Ukraine, Türkiye, Australia, Egypt, China including Hong Kong, Norway and the Philippines.
More than 1.9 million e-cigarettes were seized, with Belgium reporting the largest quantity
OLAF said seizures during JCO VAPE included more than 1.9 million e-cigarettes, 1,551 pieces of e-cigarette liquids, and nearly 61,000 heated tobacco products. Belgium reported the largest seizure of e-cigarettes, with 1.7 million pieces confiscated by its customs authorities.
OLAF linked rising demand for e-cigarettes to growing illicit trade
The press release said the operation took place against the backdrop of rapidly increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people. OLAF said this trend has gone hand in hand with a surge in illicit trade, creating risks for public health, public revenue, the environment, and broader criminal networks.
OLAF said illicit products often bypass regulatory safeguards and quality controls, exposing consumers to potentially dangerous substances while also causing significant tax losses and environmental harm through illegal production and disposal.
Goods were misdeclared as toys, clothing and essential oils
OLAF said fraudsters used a wide range of deceptive practices to evade detection, with consignments misdeclared under many different types of goods and no predominant category. These included toys, towels, clothing, shoes, shelves, earphones, glass cups and essential oils.
OLAF added that most of the seized goods were non-compliant with national laws. Reported violations included banned flavours, excessive nicotine levels and unauthorized accessory devices. Some products also failed to meet safety, labelling or composition standards.
OLAF said the operation also helped identify new trafficking patterns
OLAF Director-General Petr Klement said the results of JCO VAPE confirmed that illicit trade in tobacco and e-cigarettes is a serious and growing threat to public health and public finances. He said consumers should remain vigilant about what they smoke or inhale because illicit products may contain harmful substances.
OLAF also said that, beyond the seizures, the operation improved participants’ understanding of this emerging field of fraud, including how illicit goods are declared, transported, introduced into markets and concealed, and that its findings helped map new trafficking patterns and routes for future enforcement and risk analysis.
Photo credit: OLAF
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