Vitebsk customs officers seized 3 million contraband cigarettes hidden in a car's secret compartment

April 5, Minsk / BELTA /. Vitebsk customs officers seized over 3 million contraband cigarettes being transported in a hidden compartment across the customs border of Belarus. This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the State Customs Committee. During a special operation at the Urbany checkpoint, a Scania truck with a semi-trailer, driven by a Lithuanian carrier, was detained during customs control. As a result of a thorough inspection of the vehicle, a large batch of "Fest", Viceroi, and More cigarettes was discovered, being transported in the vehicle with concealment from customs control. The organizers of the illegal supply of tobacco products hid the cigarettes in a specially made compartment. An additional compartment for the secret transportation of goods was prepared in the front part of the semi-trailer and disguised in the cargo area of the semi-trailer. An administrative process has been initiated in this regard on the grounds of an offense provided for by Part 4 of Article 14.1 "Illegal movement of goods across the customs border of the Republic of Belarus" of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Over 150,000 packs of contraband cigarettes, as well as the vehicle, were seized. All of this has been placed in a temporary storage warehouse. The preliminary estimated value of the tobacco products amounted to over Br150 million. If this batch were sold in the European Union, its value would increase 5-6 times, which was the main motive for the carrier's illegal actions. The court will decide what will happen next with the seized cigarettes and the vehicle. The SCC reported that since the beginning of 2011, 153 attempts to illegally move tobacco products across the customs border have been suppressed. Over 32.3 million contraband cigarettes have been seized from illegal circulation. -0-