Contraband cigarettes in Vilnius: border guards confiscate nearly 13,000 packets
Lithuanian border guards discovered nearly 13,000 packets of illegal cigarettes in Vilnius, valued at almost 70,000 euros. A 62-year-old Vilnius resident was detained.
Contraband cigarettes in Vilnius: border guards confiscate nearly 13,000 packets
Officers of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) in Vilnius, in Gorny Paneriai, detained a 62-year-old Vilnius resident and confiscated 12,821 packets of illegal cigarettes. According to preliminary calculations, their value including taxes amounts to almost 70,000 euros.
The operation took place on Friday evening, following information received from Latvian colleagues. Officers from the Vilnius division of the VSAT's criminal intelligence and investigation departments conducted a search on the man's private plot. While inspecting the house, outbuildings and a stationary Fiat Doblo minibus bearing Lithuanian registration plates, officers discovered large quantities of illicit tobacco products.
In total, 12,821 packets of cigarettes of ten different brands were found. Fewer than half of them bore any excise marks, while the remaining ones were marked with Belarusian banderoles. The VSAT reported that cigarettes of well-known global brands such as Marlboro, Winston and Omega without excise marks could have been manufactured in unlicensed factories in Latvia, several of which had already been shut down by Latvian authorities.
A pre-trial investigation was initiated for the unlawful holding of excisable goods exceeding the limit established by law. The investigation is overseen by a prosecutor from the Second Criminal Prosecution Department of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor's Office. For crimes of this nature, Lithuanian law provides for a fine or imprisonment of up to eight years.
The 62-year-old Vilnius resident was detained and placed in the holding facility of the VSAT Vilnius division. Following interrogation, he was released with imposed restrictive measures – a ban on leaving the country and confiscation of his documents.
The confiscated cigarettes are stored in a border guard warehouse.
Source: LRT
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)