847,800 cigarettes without Latvian excise stamps seized in Riga
At the end of August, Latvian police detained a man in Riga’s Ziepniekkalns district whom law enforcement described as a known illegal cigarette trader. As LSM English reports, searches of his vehicles uncovered and seized 847,800 cigarettes without Latvian excise stamps and €133,430 in cash.
Detention in Ziepniekkalns
On August 24, officers of the Riga Regional Directorate of the State Police spotted the man in Ziepniekkalns as he was transferring boxes from one vehicle to another. Police officers approached him and asked to see the contents of the boxes.
According to police, the man admitted that the boxes contained tobacco products without excise stamps. The detainee was born in 1966, and his name has not been disclosed. Law enforcement also reported that he had previously been convicted of similar criminal offenses.
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Searches and proceedings
Law enforcement conducted eight searches. In six of the man’s vehicles, they found cigarettes of various brands without Latvian excise stamps, as well as cigarettes bearing excise stamps of the Republic of Belarus.
Police believe that the €133,430 in cash found was likely obtained through criminal means. Criminal proceedings have been initiated over the illegal storage, transfer, or sale of tobacco products on a large scale. Latvian law provides for up to five years’ imprisonment or another penalty for such an offense.
The cigarettes were confiscated and transferred to the State Security Agency for storage and subsequent destruction. The cash was seized, while a decision on confiscating the vehicles has not yet been made.
