Volume of contraband cigarettes has halved

The volume of contraband cigarettes seized at the Moldovan-Romanian customs posts has halved during the last two years, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Such a result is due to a joint effort aimed at combating illegal trafficking in cigarettes. We are open for cooperation. We applaud the steps taken by Moldova to fight cigarette smuggling,” Viorel Comanita, head of the Romanian National Customs Authority, said at a conference in Chisinau. The head of Moldova's Customs Service Tudor Balitski said four more mobile teams outfitted with modern equipment will patrol the Moldovan-Romanian border. The number of sniffer dogs that are trained in the Czech Republic will be increased. The Romanian partners promised to provide modern equipment like mobile scanners and video cameras. Attending the news conference, representatives of the most important cigarette companies of Moldova and Romania decided to donate equipment so as to contribute to fighting cigarette smuggling. “The reduction in the volume of contraband cigarette is beneficial both to the state and the companies that export and sell legally,” said the representative of British American Tabacco, Adrian Popa. There are six customs posts on the border between Moldova and Ukraine.