Customs and Tax Service officers from the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław stopped a lorry for inspection several kilometres after the border crossing in Jędrzychowice. In the inspected lorry, the officers found boxes of tobacco without Polish excise-duty markings, weighing more than 13 tonnes. The driver did not have documents confirming the origin of the goods.
The CMR transport document (International Consignment Note) presented by the driver to the officers indicated that the goods were intended for Lithuania. However, they had not been reported in the Electronic Transport Supervision System (SENT), raising suspicions that the goods might be introduced into illegal circulation in Poland.
The driver was charged with offences specified in the Fiscal Penal Code—excise-duty fencing and a fiscal offence. Possession, storage and transport of illegal excise goods are punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both.
The driver received fines for violating the provisions of the laws on road transport and the SENT system. Proceedings will be conducted against the driver, who was also the carrier of sensitive goods (excise goods), and may result in a fine of up to PLN 20,000. The proceedings in this case are being conducted by the Lower Silesian Customs and Tax Office in Wrocław.
Had the illegal tobacco products reached the market, the estimated losses to the state budget would have exceeded PLN 9 million.
