Customs officials discovered 8 tonnes of contraband cigarettes in a truck.

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French Customs

  • Calais customs officials made two major seizures of contraband tobacco destined for the United Kingdom.

  • In all, more than 10 tonnes of prohibited goods were discovered in trucks.

  • One of the drivers was sentenced to a customs fine of more than 3 million euros.

Condemned over several generations.

Two weeks ago, customs officials in Calais made two very beautiful seizures of contraband tobacco hidden inside heavy goods vehicles destined for Great Britain, we learned from the Ministry of the Economy.

One of the drivers arrested will have to pay an astronomical fine.

Last Friday March 13, at night, customs officers stationed at the Channel Tunnel carried out checks on trucks ready to embark towards Great Britain.

In the stream of vehicles, they targeted a heavy truck registered in Ireland in order to subject it "to an x-ray examination".

A fine equivalent to 184 years of minimum wage

In the images delivered by the scanner, officials noticed "suspicious areas", prompting them to take a closer look.

Inside the trailer were many pallets loaded with boxes.

Customs officials opened several of them and found inside “cartons of cigarettes without tax stamps but bearing the words 'UK Duty paid'”.

In total, officers counted 30 pallets of contraband cigarettes weighing more than 8 tonnes.

Customs officials discovered 8 tonnes of contraband cigarettes in a truck.

- French customs

The driver of the heavy truck was tried in immediate appearance by the Boulogne-sur-Mer criminal court and sentenced to three months in prison.

But the most painful for him is the customs fine imposed on him.

The man will indeed have to pay the equivalent of 184 years of minimum wage, or 3.4 million euros.

Two days earlier, it was the customs officers of the port of Calais who made a great discovery.

While checking a Slovenian truck as it embarked for England, officials spotted cartons of contraband tobacco hidden in the middle of a load of hot tubs.

Customs officials counted 120 boxes of tobacco packages from Luxembourg.

The total weight of the prohibited goods is 2.4 tonnes.

The driver was arrested and taken into police custody.

He will finally be tried next June.

Society

Customs: Record seizures of contraband tobacco and cigarettes in 2019

Miscellaneous

Pyrenees: In the middle of the night, 25 smugglers abandon 18,000 packets of cigarettes in the middle of the mountain

  • Justice

  • Customs

  • Smuggling

  • Tobacco

  • Calais