Moldovan cigarettes at lowest level in illicit trade in Romania in past 15 years

08.06.2022 11:19
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The share of Moldovan tobacco products in illicit trade in Romania in 2022 reached a historical minimum. According to a study, the cigarettes made in Moldova represented 3.5% of the illegal trade in Romania, which is the lowest level in the last 15 years, IPN reports.

The data were made public in a working meeting held by the Customs Service with representatives of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Moldova. The latter presented the results of the Novel study carried out at the end of 2022. The volume and share of cigarettes coming from Moldova in illegal trade in Romania remained at the given figure in November 2021 – January 2022, as opposed to 5% in September 2021 and 12.3% in June 2021.

According to the Customs Service, 89 attempts to smuggle trafficking in cigarettes were thwarted in the first five months of the year, with eight criminal cases being started over illicit cigarette trade. There was reported a considerable rise in the discovery rate, of about 50% compared with the same period of 2021.

The police seized over 75,000 packs of cigarettes and over 1.7 million unpacked cigarettes. Over 2 million packs of cigarettes were seized in a cigarette smuggling case.

The administration of the Customs Service thanked the representatives of JTI for the consistent support provided to the customs authorities throughout the cooperation period. The institution has cooperated with JTI since 2008 based on a protocol that stipulates the main cooperation principles between the sides. JTI supports the anti-fraud efforts, including the continuation of the actions to fight illegal cigarette trade.

Under this partnership, the Service benefited from technical and methodological assistance from JTI. The company contributed to the outfitting of canine teams with special equipment and transport units and contributed to their training at the Training School of the Customs Administration of the Czech Republic and to the participation in different joint competitions, operations and exercises staged together with mates from Austria, Romania, Ukraine and other countries.