An organized enterprise cigarette smuggling The auditors of the Board of Directors of the Independent Public Revenue Authority (ADE). A total of ECU 7.4 million was seized. illegal cigarettes, which were found placed inside wooden cases and packed ready for distribution. This is the largest quantity of illegal cigarettes ever detected in the country.
Following the use of information and data from the IT systems of AADE, coordinated control activities were carried out in companies trading cars, the construction of coffins and other storage areas.
The auditors found and confiscated:
– 7.4 million cigarettes of known brands, this is the largest quantity of cigarettes found within the country,
– A heavy duty truck. DX with falsified features and forged plates;
– A private passenger vehicle and a two-wheel vehicle,
– A forklift lifter.
The findings of the auditors lead to a well-organized structure of smuggling tobacco products. The use of leased spaces, vehicles with forged signs and falsified identification elements, a fleet of means of transport for the purpose of transporting and distributing tobacco products, constitute the image of a network, operating methodically for storing, transporting and channelling large quantities of tobacco products on the market.
Cigarettes were found placed in wooden cases and packed ready for distribution. Cases had been lined with metal rods, in order not to detect tobacco products from x-ray.
The duties and taxes lost exceed EUR 1.4 million. Tobacco samples are sent for examination to the Chemical Agency and companies representing the relevant marks to examine their authenticity.
At the same time, four people were arrested, which were taken to the D.A., while a case has been formed. The research continues to identify other persons involved and interconnected circuits.
