Contraband cigarettes worth €7 million discovered hidden in onions at Giurgiu
Police in Giurgiu have discovered over 70 million counterfeit cigarettes hidden in a truck loaded with onions. Six people have been detained, with the damage exceeding €12 million.
International smuggling network dismantled after record seizure at Giurgiu
A record haul of counterfeit cigarettes, valued at over €7 million, has been discovered hidden in a truck carrying onions, according to Cotidianul.ro. The investigation led authorities to an international network comprising Romanian and Bulgarian nationals who had brought over 70 million counterfeit cigarettes into the country.
Prosecutors have estimated the total damage at over €12 million, representing unpaid excise duties to the state.
The decisive operation took place on 29 August 2026, at approximately 21:30, when police stopped a car and a lorry in the area of Giurgiu municipality. "The method of operation consisted of using temperature-controlled lorries and cover goods consisting of vegetables and fruit," prosecutors stated. In the cargo compartment of the lorry, investigators found a significant quantity of cigarettes "concealed within a shipment of goods consisting of onions".
Following the discovery, police carried out 22 home searches in the counties of Teleorman, Neamț, Bacău, Vaslui, Botoșani, Iași, Giurgiu and in Bucharest municipality.
Six people were detained, and one placed under judicial supervision for forming an organised criminal group and marketing excisable products without corresponding markings or with false markings, beyond the legal limit of 10,000 cigarettes.
Prosecutors have seized over 6 million counterfeit cigarettes and have made unavailable 9 vehicles for the purpose of implementing precautionary measures. During the documentation of illegal activities, a further 7,199,780 cigarettes were seized. In total, investigators have confiscated 9 cars and two lorries.
Investigations continue to clarify the full circumstances of the case, with legal measures to be determined by the competent prosecution unit.
Source: Cotidianul.ro