French courts convict traffickers in counterfeit cigarettes and stolen vehicle networks

In June 2026 French courts handed down sentences in two separate cross‑border trafficking cases. At the Aix‑en‑Provence tribunal, three defendants were tried for organising a large‑scale counterfeit cigarette operation that supplied the Bouches‑du‑Rhône and Var regions between 2021 and 2025. Police raids uncovered more than 1,200 counterfeit cartons in a Gardanne storage box, along with roughly €85,000 in cash and bank deposits. Philip Morris France acted as civil plaintiff, warning that the illicit products—sold for €30‑40 per carton—are part of a network that sources production from neighbouring countries and resembles drug‑trafficking routes.

Meanwhile, the Marseille judicial court sentenced three men for a network that stole vehicles in Italy and exported them to Algeria from 2015 to 2017. Two brothers, Giuseppe E. and Marco E., identified as the ringleaders, received two years of firm imprisonment; a third accomplice, Issam B., was given a two‑year suspended sentence. The scheme involved dozens of cars and motorcycles sold at prices far below market value, with cash transactions and falsified registration documents. Around 70 victims, including private owners and businesses, await compensation for losses dating back a decade.