Five persons, three of whom are Moldovans and two are Ukrainians, were arrested on suspicion that they smuggled considerable amounts of tobacco. According to the police, over 16,000 kilograms of contraband estimated at over 1.1 million lei were to be smuggled to Ukraine, IPN reports.
In a news conference, Veaceslav Toderita, prosecutor of the Chisinau City Prosecutor’s Office, said it was established that since 2016 the suspects, hiding goods in special places in units of transport, smuggled these from Moldova to Ukraine avoiding customs control.
It was established that decision makers of a number of enterprises implemented a scheme to smuggle fermented tobacco that is used to make cigarettes from Moldova to Ukraine through green areas. A price of €3.5 was paid for a kilogram of tobacco.
This June, the suspects illegally took 2,500 kg of fermented tobacco ready for making cigarettes to Ukraine. They were later arrested while transporting a similar quantity of tobacco. Searches were carried out at the homes and storehouses of the suspects and in six units of transport used by these.
The police said the suspects set up a special warehouse in Briceni, near the border with Ukraine. From that place, they transported the tobacco to Ukraine by special equipment and vehicles at night. About 11,000 kg of fermented tobacco were found in the storage place.
The suspects aged between 30 and 60 include former police employees. They face up to ten years in jail for smuggling.
