The Netherlands’ Customs and the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) is warning that,
Counterfeit cigarettes are generally of poor quality. A study by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) found that the cadmium content of counterfeit cigarettes was on average five times higher than that of genuine cigarettes and the lead content on average six times higher.
FIOD also warns that,
Half the cigarettes seized (105 million) were counterfeit. As many as 98% of the more than 47 million cigarettes that were seized on their way to the Dutch market used false trademarks and therefore infringed company rights.
and that,
By far the majority of counterfeit cigarettes that are exported to or via the Netherlands are made in China. Counterfeit cigarettes are also produced in Europe. Most illegal factories are being shut down in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Dutch governments analysis of counterfeit cigarettes is consistent with recent NIST-sponsored research which found that counterfeit cigarettes were even more hazardous than authentic products because of highly elevated levels of lead and cadmium. The NIST and Dutch government’s report heightens the importance of CRE’s recommendation to the Department of Justice.
