KAS, CBŚP and Border Guard intervened in the Ostrów district in Masovia. They closed down a tobacco cutting plant and two warehouses of illegal cigarettes. 14 tons of tobacco and over 15 million cigarettes were seized. Their value is over PLN 18 million. They also found devices and a stolen car.
The Masovian National Tax Administration (KAS), the Central Police Investigation Bureau (CBŚP) and the Border Guard (SG) were on the trail of a group dealing with excise crime.
The services searched two places. The first one contained a tobacco cutting plant – specialized machines and nearly three tons of dried tobacco were seized.
The services busted a tobacco gangNational Tax Administration
At the second property, five people were detained while unloading delivery trucks. “Four trucks were loaded with cut tobacco, and illegal cigarettes were found in the fifth truck. The cigarettes smuggled from Lithuania were packed in metal cases and stacked on pallets,” said Junior Asp. Justyna Pasieczyńska, press secretary of the Head of the National Tax Administration.
She added that the detained were Polish citizens aged 25 to 55. They were charged with participating in an organized criminal group and committing criminal and fiscal crimes. Two of them were temporarily arrested for three months.
Illegal cigarettes, stolen car
“The officers seized a total of over 15 million pieces of cigarettes and about 14 tons of tobacco without Polish excise stamps, with an estimated value of over PLN 18 million. If illegal cigarettes were put on sale, the losses to the State Treasury would amount to about PLN 32 million,” Pasieczyńska reported.
The services busted a tobacco gangNational Tax Administration
The services also secured a delivery car and a semi-trailer, in which they discovered traces of tampering with the VIN markings. According to them, the car was stolen in Germany in 2022 and the trailer in 2019.
The case is supervised by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Ostrołęka.
Main photo source: National Tax Administration