Estonian customs catches over 680,000 contraband cigarettes in January
At the end of January, Estonian Tax and Customs Board (MTA) officials on two occasions detected large quantities of contraband alcohol and cigarettes. Between the two busts, customs officials discovered a total of 955 liters of spirits, 312 liters of strong liquor, and over 680,000 contraband cigarettes.
Last month, a man was arrested in Võru County who had 955 liters of strong liquor and 660,000 contraband cigarettes, a search of his home revealed.
MTA officials also detained a vehicle on a highway in Pärnu County carrying two men in possession of 312 liters of contraband strong liquor.
According to MTA official Rain Kuus, the liquor found in the car detained in Pärnu County was packaged into unmarked three-liter plastic packages not bearing any sort of tax stamps, indicating that the contents were not brought in from some other EU country.
When MTA officials searched the home of one of the two men, another 112 cartons of contraband cigarettes, a few bottles of alcohol not bearing tax stamps and an unregistered firearm were also found.
Last year, MTA officials detected a total of 3,870 liters of absolute alcohol on 74 occasions in Estonia.
Editor: Aili Vahtla