site.btaMore Cigarettes Seized at Lesovo Border Checkpoint in 2024

Over 6.4 million smuggled cigarettes were seized by customs officers at the Lesovo border checkpoint in 2024, the Customs Agency said here on Monday. This marks an increase of 50% compared to 2023, when over 4.3 million pieces of cigarettes were seized.

The Customs Agency noted that in most cases excise tobacco products were found among declared goods in trucks traveling to Western Europe, where market prices for cigarettes are significantly higher.

On January 30, customs officers again found 60,000 pieces of smuggled cigarettes hidden in transported mattresses in a truck traveling from Turkiye to France. An administrative violation notice was issued to the driver, who is a Turkish citizen.