The smuggling in cigarettes expanded together with the installation of the “Dodon Government”, said the head of the PAS parliamentary group Igor Grosu, who noted that while the EU, the development partners provided assistance to the country that is conditional upon reforms, the “Dodon Government” responded with contraband cigarettes that inundated the European market, primarily the Romanian market, IPN reports.

In a press briefing, Igor Grosu said cigarette smuggling is a shameful, regrettable phenomenon that not only affects Moldova’s image, but also result in poverty, robbery and other negative things. “The shameful performance of the Dodon Government is that the phenomenon or the counteracting of illicit trade in cigarettes and alcohol became a conditionality element in our relationship with the European partners,” stated the MP

Rosian Vasiloi, former head of the Border Police in the Sandu Government, presented statistical data that derive from the public information about cigarette smuggling on the EU’s external border published by the Romanian authorities. In January-May 2020, the Romanian authorities seized more than 2 million cigarettes to the value of over 1.7 million Romanian lei, which is equal to 7m Moldovan lei, in Botosani, Iasi, Vaslui and Galaţi Counties.

“In the period, the authorities from the left side of the Prut, of the Republic of Moldova, seized over 400,000 cigarettes. A part of these were found inside the country, while the other part at border crossing points, not yet on the green border,” stated Rosian Vasiloi.

He also said that in January-June this year, the authorities confiscated cigarettes totaling about 14 million Moldovan lei. In June alone, the Romanian authorities seized over 3 million cigarettes, while the pandemic crisis was in full swing and the borders were practically closed. “We are drafting, together with the colleagues, a bill to make punishments for smuggling harsher,” said Rosian Vasiloi.

MP Igor Grosu noted that as a member of the Parliament’s commission on national security, defense and public order, he will request to question the managers of the state institutions responsible for counteracting illicit trade in cigarettes and will ask the Prosecutor General’s Office to determine if these institutions did their job or not.