Officers of the Customs and Tax Service from the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław discovered 19,600 cigarettes without Polish excise tax markings during a routine inspection at the market in Sieniawka. – The goods were stored in an unmarked metal cabinet. The officers did not find out who owned the illegal goods – reports Agnieszka Rzeźnicka-Gniadek, spokesperson for the Lower Silesian KAS.
She adds:
The discovered cigarettes were seized and transferred to a deposit warehouse. The tobacco products were worth PLN 14,700. The sale of the illegal cigarettes would have generated more than PLN 18,000 in excise tax for the state budget.
But that was not the end of it. The spokesperson says: – During another operation, officers from the Lower Silesian KAS and the Border Guard once again inspected the market in Sieniawka while carrying out official duties.
The result? They found 7 kg of tobacco and 39,060 cigarettes without Polish excise tax markings. The discovered tobacco products were hidden under a pile of boards and in broken household appliances. KAS says: – The total value of the tobacco products was PLN 34,454. The sale of the illegal tobacco and cigarettes would have generated PLN 42,642 in excise tax for the state budget.
The officers then searched an apartment and a passenger car parked nearby. In the car’s trunk, they found more illegal cigarettes and tobacco: more than 11,400 cigarettes and 10 kg of tobacco. The man being searched, who was suspected of illegal trading, confessed to the crime.
The total value of all the discovered tobacco products exceeded PLN 65,000. The office says: – Had it not been for the intervention of officers from the Lower Silesian KAS and the Border Guard, the state budget could have lost more than PLN 80,000 as a result of this illegal activity.
It also warns:
KAS reminds the public that, for the sake of health and life, products originating from illegal production not only fail to meet quality standards but may also contain toxic substances.