A new record for cigarette smuggling through Rotterdam
Dutch customs authorities seized a record number of smuggled cigarettes last year, totaling 217 million cigarettes, which is nearly double the amount confiscated in 2013, according to the AD newspaper.
Most of these quantities entered the country through the Port of Rotterdam, where cigarettes are smuggled within air and sea shipments, although some individuals bring small quantities with them from their trips or during short visits to other countries.
The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes is currently €11.10 in the Netherlands, prompting an increasing number of smokers to turn to the black market or buy cigarettes from other countries. Legally, it is allowed to bring 800 cigarettes into the Netherlands from within the European Union, while the limit from outside the Union is reduced to only 200 cigarettes.
The largest seizure last year was of a shipment containing 27 million cigarettes, found inside a shipping container at the Port of Rotterdam. Customs indicates that most of the smuggled cigarettes come from Asia and the Middle East.
These illegal cigarettes are known as "white cigarettes" in official terminology, and their trade is considered illegal in the Netherlands due to the European Union's non-recognition of the brands they carry.