Smugglers Hide 16,000 Cigarettes & Tobacco Sticks under truck’s Roof Spoiler in Germany
AMBERG, GERMANY – German customs officials seized 16,000 cigarettes and 1,000 heated tobacco sticks during a routine inspection of a Bulgarian-registered truck traveling on the A6 motorway near Amberg this week. The illicit haul was discovered concealed above the driver’s cabin, within the area of the roof spoiler, and in a trailer storage compartment.
Inspectors initially questioned the driver, who claimed to have no undeclared goods. Though, a search revealed 76 cartons of cigarettes and two cartons of Heets – tobacco sticks for heating devices – hidden in five plastic bags above the cabin, all bearing Bulgarian excise stamps. An additional four cartons of cigarettes and three cartons of Heets were found in the trailer.
The shipment,destined for Ireland,contained twelve different cigarette brands and considerably exceeded the legal limit for personal use (800 cigarettes or 200 Heets per person).
Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the driver on suspicion of tax evasion,resulting in an estimated tax loss of nearly €3,275 for the German state.
“In some European countries a carton of cigarettes costs up to three times as much as in the countries of origin,” explained Thomas Schell, head of the Verkehrswege Furth im Wald control unit. “Thes price differences make smuggling attractive and show how important our controls are.”
[photo:GermanPolice-[photo:GermanPolice-[photo:GermanPolice-[photo:GermanPolice-Image shows cigarettes discovered hidden within the roof spoiler of the truck.]
