Andorra la VellaIn three joint operations against tobacco smuggling carried out in recent weeks, the Police and Customs have confiscated nearly 16,000 packages valued at more than 62,500 euros.
In one of the two actions, surveillance made it possible to detect how the smugglers hid the bags with the goods under stones and in different places near the Arieja river, taking advantage of natural cavities, some of which were difficult to access.
At the time of the intervention, the troops of the two special forces seized a large volume of tobacco. In total, 9,960 packages valued at more than 39,000 euros.
At the end of September, following another joint surveillance operation that lasted from seven in the afternoon until well into the morning, the Police and Customs agents, with a coordinated action, intercepted a vehicle with French registration who was preparing to cross the border with a large quantity of tobacco. In this case, 5,800 packages valued at more than 22,700 euros were seized.
A few days earlier, Police officers from the Border Group had confiscated nearly 3,000 packs of tobacco valued at 11,300 euros, most of which were hidden in the mountains. And this past weekend, the Police seized 1,120 packages and 5.4 kg of snuff in two different operations. In this case, the total value of the seized merchandise exceeds 4,700 euros.
The Police and Customs carry out daily surveillance and collaborate closely to fight against tobacco smuggling. The two bodies also carry out actions in collaboration with French Customs once a month. In the last coordinated intervention, this October, 220 packs of tobacco valued at more than 800 euros were confiscated.
Joint actions on both sides of the border will continue to be strengthened in the future thanks to the planned joint patrols with the Hospital Gendarmerie Brigade.