Most of the cigarettes were found hidden in passengers’ luggage, primarily among travellers arriving from Turkey and Armenia, and were believed to be intended for the illegal European market. In one of the cases, baggage tags had allegedly been tampered with to make it appear as though the flight had originated within the EU, according to the press release.
The Customs and Excise Agency stressed that the seizure highlights the ongoing importance of efforts to combat tobacco smuggling, a practice that undermines fiscal regulations and poses a growing threat to the European market.
