Фото: t.me/customs_rf
Employees of Russia’s Central Operational Customs Office have stopped a channel for the illegal import of tobacco products from Belarus. The Federal Customs Service reported that 6.7 million packs of unlabeled cigarettes worth more than 1 billion Russian rubles in total were discovered at a warehouse in Moscow.
The tobacco products were transported by rail under the guise of electrical conductors. At the warehouse, the cigarettes in the containers were covered with empty boxes.
A 35-year-old native of Azerbaijan is identified as the organizer of the scheme. The man admitted that he knew the shipment was illegal and planned to sell the cigarettes in Russia.
A criminal case has been opened under Part 1 of Article 226.1 of the Russian Criminal Code concerning the smuggling of strategically important goods on a large scale. The maximum penalty is up to five years in prison.
The suspect’s home and office were searched. He has been placed in a pre-trial detention center. Investigators are identifying the other participants in the scheme.
Moscow customs officials stop cigarette smuggling worth more than 1 billion rubles