On Tuesday, 22 March, 2022 border guards in Krāslava region and Daugavpils stopped the illegal movement of cigarettes across the state border and seized more than 52,000 smuggled cigarettes, and detained one person.
As a result of operational procedures, the border guards of the Daugavpils Board of the State Border Guard in Krāslava Parish, Krāslava District found a citizen of Latvia who was at the border zone without identity document. The Border Guards found a rubbed boat near the person as well as carriers for carrying cigarette packs, while near the detainee, the border guards identified an ambush with smuggled cigarettes.
In total, 26,400 “Premjer” cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps were seized by the border guards.
For smuggling in large amounts, criminal proceedings have been initiated according to the Section 190 (3) of the Criminal Law and the offense is punishable with up to ten years of imprisonment with or without confiscation of property, and up to three years’ probation supervision, or without it, with deprivation of the right to a certain or all type of commercial activity or to a certain position for a period of up to five years.
Moreover, an administrative violation proceeding has been initiated against a person who has been detained several times for smuggling of cigarettes and excise goods across the state border pursuant to Art 36 of the Law on the State Border of the Republic of Latvia on violation of the regime of the state border, state border zone, borderland and border area or at border crossing points. A warning or a fine of up to one hundred fine units shall be imposed for this type of infringement.
In the evening of the same day, as a result of border surveillance measures, the border guards of the Daugavpils Board of the State Border Guard in Daugavpils, on the Daugava River, found a raft crossing the state border. During its inspection, the border guards found out that the raft consists of four interconnected boxes packed in white agrofilm. 26,400 “Premier” cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps were found in them.
Accordingly, criminal proceedings have been initiated under Art 191 (3) on illicit transactions in goods and other valuables subject to customs clearance.