NewsVilnius: CEPOL strengthens capabilities to combat excise and customs fraud
From 1 to 4 June 2026, CEPOL delivered onsite activity 68/2026/ONS: “Excise Fraud: Intelligence, Detection, and Operational Response”, implemented in Vilnius, Lithuania under the framework of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), in close cooperation with the EMPACT Driver on Excise and Customs Fraud.
The training was co-organised and hosted by the Lithuanian Customs Training Centre, with the support of the Lithuanian Customs authorities and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
Drawing on Frontex expertise, the activity contributed directly to the planning and implementation of an EMPACT operational priority coordinated by Frontex.
56 participants (29 onsite and 27 online) from 19 EU Member States, Iceland, Moldova, Europol and Frontex (30 Standing Corps Officers) enhanced their capabilities to detect, analyse and support operational responses against cross-border smuggling of excise goods.
Trainers and experts from Europol, Frontex, EPPO, Lithuania, Czechia, Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Philip Morris International, provided insights into key aspects of excise and customs fraud, with a particular focus on new tobacco products, sanctions evasion, intelligence analysis, risk profiling and the use of AI-supported detection tools.
By strengthening cooperation among law enforcement, customs, and border management authorities, the activity contributed to a coordinated European response to excise and customs fraud.
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Combatting new forms of organised crime requires more cooperation between police and gendarmes, customs officers, border guards, judges, and prosecutors. EU institutions, agencies and Member States work together to tackle organised and serious international crime through a permanent and key instrument: the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT).
CEPOL plays a crucial role in the EMPACT mechanism through the provision of specialised training and the identification of training needs within each common security threat. Every year, CEPOL provides a comprehensive training package for each common EU crime priority consisting of onsite, online and exchange training activities.
Check more of CEPOL's EMPACT training activities here.
