(EN) 01-08-22 Seizure of 98 million Contraband Cigarettes (3rd Customs Services of Piraeus – SEK)

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Press Release 1^st Aug. 2022

Following a series of checks carried out by the Independent Authorityfor Public Revenue (IAPR) to crack down on the smuggling and trafficking of drugs, weapons, cigarettes and counterfeit products, IAPR officers confiscated 9 containers containing 98,005,000 contraband cigarettes, corresponding to duties and taxes of 20,755,255 Euros. More specifically, customs inspectors after reviewing local risk analysis and intelligence provided by SEK(through data analysis and assessment) and IAPR(through foreign law enforcement agencies, LEAs),picked 9 containers for inspection.The goods,declared as "Printing Paper", "Paper Bags" and "Tools, Shoes and Generators", originated from the United Arab Emirates, China and Thailand, were unloaded at the port of Piraeus and were destined forcompanies in Montenegro, Slovakia, Greece and Cyprus,as final recipients. The inspectors employed the special X-RAY machine and the tobacco detection dog, Kal, while carrying out a targeted check indicatingtobaccopresence. The declared products were located only in the first two loading rows of each container, aimingatmisleadingLEAsby hiding the cartons of contraband cigarettes, which made up the rest of the cargo. IAPR services have intensified their investigations to identify the persons and companies involved in Greece and in other European and Asian countries as well.