Confirmed are the trends announced by the Customs Criminal Service (MKT) analysts regarding large quantities of illegal cigarettes being smuggled into Lithuania from Latvian territory.
Read more Metallic, bitter, or sour taste in the mouth: what do these body signals mean?
Last week, MKT officers stopped a truck near Kryžkalnis (Raseiniai district), in whose semi-trailer nearly half a million packs of illegal cigarettes were found. The tobacco products are suspected to have been produced in shadow factories in Latvia.
This is the largest seizure of illegal cigarettes this year by Lithuanian customs.
This is the largest seizure of illegal cigarettes this year by Lithuanian customs.
Assisting officers of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), who control illegal migration, MKT officers have been conducting intensified checks on the main roads of the country in recent weeks.
On July 30, a customs criminal patrol on the A1 road Vilnius – Klaipėda, near Kryžkalnis, stopped and inspected a DAF cargo truck entering from Latvia.
When officers opened the semi-trailer doors, it became clear that the interior was full of pallets wrapped in white polyethylene film with boxes. After checking several of them, cigarettes were found inside the boxes. The DAF was then escorted to the Klaipėda Territorial Customs Malkų Bay Sea Port post, where it was thoroughly physically inspected.
The exact quantity and value of the seized cigarettes will be determined later, but preliminary data shows a total of 19 pallets with 903 boxes of cigarettes found in the truck. This is approximately 451,500 packs of various types (“Marlboro Gold”, “Winston Blue”, “Minsk Superslims”, “NZ Gold”) of cigarettes. Some of the tobacco products were marked with Belarusian excise stamps, while others were without stamps.
The total value of the illegal cigarettes (including mandatory taxes) is about 2.4 million euros.
An investigation has been launched at the MKT Klaipėda branch regarding illegal handling of excise goods. The investigation is led by the Šiauliai District Prosecutor’s Office.
The truck driver, who claimed to be unaware of the cargo, was subjected to preventive measures by the pre-trial investigation officer – a written promise not to leave and mandatory registration at the police station. The suspect faces a fine or imprisonment for up to eight years.
Last year, Lithuanian customs officers seized nearly 7 million packs of illegal cigarettes in pre-trial investigations, mostly smuggled from Latvia. Available data confirms that both globally known tobacco companies’ and Belarusian cigarettes are being counterfeited in Latvia.
Read more After reconstruction, IKI doors open again: nearly 0.65 million euros invested in renovation
