Border guards seized 8,000 packs of contraband cigarettes near the border with Romania
Operational units of the Chernivtsi Border Guard Detachment dismantled a large-scale scheme involving the illegal smuggling of excise goods across the state border.
Officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of tobacco products into neighboring Romania.
The smugglers planned to transport the goods on foot across a rugged mountainous area.
Acting on intelligence, a border patrol observed a group of individuals carrying large packages moving through the mountainous terrain toward the state border with Romania.
Border guards reacted promptly to the appearance of the offenders and attempted to block their movement. During the apprehension, the violators fled deeper into Ukrainian territory, abandoning their cargo in a forested area.
During a search of the area, border guards discovered 16 boxes containing 8,000 packs of cigarettes without excise tax stamps.
All the tobacco products found were carefully packed and prepared for long-distance transport in harsh mountainous conditions.
The seized goods, valued at approximately 720,000 hryvnias, were handed over to representatives of the Economic Security Bureau.
This was reported by the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine – Western Border.
In May, border guards detained about 1,100 state border violators
The State Border Guard Service warned of possible provocations from Belarus
