Police and tax office crime fighters have been involved in a string of raids in Limburg as part of a Europe-wide investigation into the illicit tobacco trade.

Police raided properties in Eygelshoven, Roggel, Weert en Brunssum and in Stramproy, a village on the Belgian border, they seized tonnes of tobacco, thought to have been send to the Netherlands from Italy for packaging.

Foreign police forces in Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Britain were also involved in the investigation, the Telegraaf said.

The paper says the gang may have produced counterfeit cigarettes to the value of at least €100m, depriving the tax office of some €60m in excise duties.

Last year officials seized 104 tonnes of tobacco destined for the illicit cigarette market – enough to make nearly 160 million cigarettes.

In total, 12 illegal cigarette factories have been busted since the beginning of 2017.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been arrested in the current campaign.