Polish customs officials seize haul of illegal cigarettes from Belarus

Polish customs officials say they have seized a large haul of illegal cigarettes from Belarus in a raid near the northeastern Polish city of Suwałki.

Photo:

gov.pl/National Revenue Administration (KAS)

The operation saw investigators confiscate nearly 400,000 packs of contraband cigarettes, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Tuesday.

The contraband was found in a truck that entered Poland through its eastern border with Lithuania.

Udaremniliśmy próbę przemytu 400 tys. paczek papierosów bez polskich znaków #akcyza. Towar odkryła @KAS_Bialystok w specjalnych drewnianych konstrukcjach przewożonych w naczepie ciężarówki.
Na sprzedaży tych 🚬 budżet państwa straciłby ok. 10 mln zł.https://t.co/EZIqRY69Du

— Krajowa Adm. Skarbowa (@KAS_GOV_PL) February 13, 2024

Law enforcers have detained the truck's 41-year-old Belarusian driver, who faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of smuggling charges, the IAR news agency reported.

The crackdown saved public coffers some PLN 10 million (EUR 2.3 million, USD 2.5 million) in losses from uncollected excise tax, according to officials.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl