Russian citizen fined, visa revoked for apparent cigarette smuggling
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (MTA) reportedly discovered a consignment of 8,300 cigarettes being illegally imported in a car travelling from the Russian Federation yesterday, Thursday, 17 May.
The vehicle was apprehended at the Koidula border crossing point and was being driven by a 37 year-old female citizen of the Russian Federation, according to an MTA spokesperson.
The illicit cigarettes were reportedly stamped with tax stamps originating in the Central Asian Republic of Tadjikistan.
The driver of the vehicle was fined, her Estonian Visa was revoked and she returned to the Russian side of the border, it was reported.
The border incident is the second involving contraband cigarettes in recent days; last week a Lithuanian citizen received a suspended sentence and was barred from reentering Estonia for five years after being found with over three million cigarettes hidden in the truck he was driving.
Editor: Andrew Whyte