[REVISION HISTORY]

German customs enforcement against illegal tobacco and drugs

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2026-09-18 11:40 UTC → 2026-10-10 11:12 UTC · added ~~removed~~

German customs authorities have conducted several enforcement operations targeting the illegal sale of unauthorized medications, tobacco, and e-cigarette products. In late August, raids on kiosks in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel led to the seizure of approximately 1,600 unauthorized potency tablets being sold without prescriptions. These operations, which included a similar raid in Darmstadt, resulted in criminal proceedings for suspected violations of the Medicines Act and tax evasion. By mid-September, enforcement efforts expanded in scale. In Hamburg, a large-scale operation involving over 130 investigators resulted in the seizure of roughly 150,000 untaxed disposable e-cigarettes, with an estimated tax loss of 1.2 million euros. This investigation targeted a group suspected of using online shops and warehouses to distribute non-compliant vapes nationwide. Additionally, customs officials inspected 150 booths at the InterTabac trade fair in Dortmund, uncovering various untaxed tobacco goods and initiating 26 tax criminal proceedings against exhibitors. In October, authorities reported record seizures in the Magdeburg region. Between August 10 and September 4, 2026, customs officials intercepted four separate smuggling incidents involving 115,800 untaxed and unauthorized e-cigarettes, preventing an estimated tax loss of nearly 1.4 million euros. Notable interceptions included a truck on the A2 motorway carrying 12,600 e-cigarettes and a shipment of 44,000 units found on 11 pallets on the A38 near Sangerhausen, which led to the driver being taken into custody.

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