Polish customs officials seize haul of illegal cigarettes from Lithuania

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 550,000 packs of contraband cigarettes, broadcaster TVN24 reported on Thursday.

Podlaska Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa powstrzymała przemyt ponad 550 tys. paczek papierosów.https://t.co/MwWGyY8QWv

— tvn24 (@tvn24) October 31, 2024

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

Udaremniliśmy próbę przemytu ok. 550 tys. paczek papierosów bez polskich znaków #akcyza. Kontrabandę o wartości ok. 8,3 mln zł wykryliśmy w #Budzisko w naczepie ciężarówki z Litwy.
Pojazd miał przewozić meble. Do kontroli wykorzystaliśmy skaner #rtg.https://t.co/5VHuw2YiFV

— Krajowa Adm. Skarbowa (@KAS_GOV_PL) October 31, 2024

Law enforcers have detained the truck's Lithuanian driver, who faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of smuggling charges, TVN24 reported.

The crackdown saved public coffers some PLN 8.3 million (EUR 2.3 million, USD 2.5 million) in losses from uncollected excise tax, according to officials.

(gs)

Source: tvn24.pl, gov.pl