The Lebanese Tobacco and Tobacco Control Administration (Regie) announced that its anti-smuggling agency carried out a series of raids in the Chouf and Sidon districts, which resulted in the seizure of quantities of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco products.
The Regie explained, in a statement, that the operations included the towns of Wardaniyah and Wadi al-Zeina in the Chouf district, and the city of Sidon and the town of Al-Hilaliya in the Sidon district, where quantities of smuggled electronic cigarettes, smuggled and counterfeit mo’assal, smuggled cigarettes, and smuggled Persian tobacco, in addition to counterfeit cigars, were seized.
The administration confirmed that these raids come within the framework of its continuing efforts to combat the smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products, noting that arrest reports have been organized against violators, and the files have been referred to the competent judiciary to take the necessary legal measures.
In recent years, the Regie has intensified its field operations in various Lebanese regions to combat the smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products, within the framework of protecting public revenues and reducing illicit trade. These campaigns include raiding warehouses and shops, and seizing products that do not meet legal requirements or are sold outside official frameworks, in coordination with the security services and the competent judiciary. The administration confirms that the spread of smuggled and counterfeit products not only causes financial losses to the treasury, but also poses a danger to consumers due to the lack of control over their components and sources of manufacture.
