Drones and Treks Fuel Sophisticated Tobacco Smuggling at Andorra-France Border

Police in Andorra and French gendarmes face increasingly sophisticated tobacco smuggling operations at the Pas de la Casa border, where traffickers deploy drones, hidden spotters, and short mountain treks to evade controls.

Smugglers now use drones operated from French territory to monitor police movements, alongside lookouts—one perched in a tree on the French side and another positioned near Andorran shops. Once spotted clear, carriers walk just 1.5 kilometres along unmarked paths to waiting vehicles, hauling heavy bundles of cigarettes and tobacco. Drivers arrive with up to €10,000 in cash to purchase the goods, which are then funneled into the black market by organised networks involving Maghrebi and Albanian groups.

The trade thrives on stark price differences: cigarettes in Andorra cost up to three times less than in France, where a pack-a-day smoker spends around €4,745 annually. Prices there will rise further in January due to public health measures. At night, after border stalls close at 9:30pm—staffed by just one customs officer—vehicles speed through unchecked, often buying from 24-hour fuel stations. Operations mirror "go-fast" drug runs, with high-speed evasion tactics prompting French agents to use stop sticks.

Recent seizures underscore the escalation. Over the December 13-14 weekend, French customs near Bourg-Madame and Porta intercepted over 325kg of cigarettes and 40kg of tobacco. Confiscations in Ariège rose 73% in one year. Carriers, often undocumented migrants from Algeria's Mostaganem region or the Balkans, trek at altitudes above 2,000 metres, wrapping ankles in plastic against the cold and carrying hundreds of packs like Sherpas. Customs chief Lucien Hariot likened it to "human trafficking," with porters poorly paid while ringleaders pocket around €8,000 per load.

Risks extend beyond economics. In L'Hospitalet, mayor Arnaud Diaz reported finding two bodies near the village in extreme weather conditions and warned of increasingly aggressive traffickers. Gendarmerie captain Collard in Foix described drivers funding bulk buys for foot transport.

French officials blame Andorra's heavy reliance on tobacco sales, calling Pas de la Casa "a giant open-air tobacconist." Local merchants complain the smuggling stigma harms their image, despite police efforts and awaited reinforcements. The border remains a daily battleground, showing no signs of abating.