Customs and TradeNewsSmuggling

Organized criminal group specializing in cigarette smuggling, dismantled by border guards

On January 22 this year, the Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime – Iaşi Territorial Service, together with judicial police officers and Border Police conducted a number of 13 house searches in Iaşi County, aimed at dismantling a cross-border organized criminal group specializing in smuggling cigarettes and tobacco products.

In this case, they documented the illegal, cross-border activity of introducing into the country some significant quantities of cigarettes, both across the green border and through the state border crossing points of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, each member of the criminal group having specific goals and responsibilities coordination, transport, distribution and sale illegal use of the goods thus introduced.

Following the searches, 10,441 packs of cigarettes, the amounts of 194,150 lei, 9,160 euros, $ 3,000 and 20 pounds were discovered and seized in order to continue the investigation.