Customs officials from the Republic of Moldova, in cooperation with Romanian authorities, thwarted two attempts to smuggle goods subject to excise duty. Cigarettes were hidden in boxes of puff pastries, alcoholic beverages were camouflaged under the seats of a coach, and a consignment of perfumes was not declared at Chisinau International Airport, IPN reports.

The first case took place at Chisinau International Airport, where a passenger on the Warsaw-Chisinau flight tried to smuggle 100 packs of cigarettes and 36 perfume items into the country without declaring them to customs. The 31-year-old man, a non-resident, is being investigated by the authorities and the goods seized.

Another incident was recorded at the Albita customs post, where officials from the Moldovan Customs Service and the Romanian Customs Authority checked a coach on an occasional trip to France. Following the X-ray check, 450 packets of cigarettes, the equivalent of 9 000 cigarettes, were found hidden in boxes of puff pastries under the seats of the vehicle, as well as 52 bottles of hard alcoholic drinks. The estimated value of the undeclared goods is around 40 000 lei. The authorities across the Prut ordered the confiscation of the products and a fine of 30 000 Romanian lei.

The customs authorities note that smuggling of excisable goods, especially cigarettes and alcohol, remains a major problem for the Republic of Moldova and at European level, as they are frequently transported illegally to avoid duties and taxes and then sold on the black market.