BAT Romania makes a new donation of equipment to the Romanian Border Police: 150 LPR (License Plate Recognition) cameras and an image storage unit intended to strengthen the reaction capacity of this structure in the surveillance of state borders, especially in the context of Romania's entry into the Schengen area. This recent donation adds to similar actions through which BAT Romania supports The Romanian Border Police through donations of specific equipment that contribute to strengthening the operational capacity of law enforcement authorities.
April 21 marks the National Day against Illicit Trafficking in Goods in Romania, an important moment to raise awareness of the severe impact of smuggling on economic development and communities. Legitimate industry has an essential role in supporting the efforts of the authorities to combat this phenomenon, by providing expertise and investments in technology capable of stopping illicit trafficking. BAT thus continues the series of actions carried out in support of law enforcement authorities, the partnership with the Romanian Border Police being a priority in this regard.
“Equipping law enforcement authorities with the necessary equipment in the fight against illicit trade is essential, as it enhances their ability to detect, investigate and prevent illegal activities, such as smuggling, counterfeiting and tax evasion. Advanced technology such as scanners, surveillance and data analysis systems give authorities the necessary means to combat criminal networks, for which often only their own imagination is the limit in diversifying these illegal actions. We remain a reliable partner in supporting the efforts of the Romanian Border Police, whose considerable results in combating illicit trafficking contribute to economic stability, public safety and the consolidation of a safer business environment,” said Ileana Dumitru, Director for External Affairs of the South East Europe Area of BAT.
Recently, border guards from BPS Siret - TIBP Sighetu Marmației, together with the Romanian Customs Authority, made a significant seizure at the Siret Border Crossing Point, Suceava County: following a scan and physical inspection of the vehicle, authorities discovered 267 boxes containing 133,500 packs of cigarettes hidden in the front of the semi-trailer, behind pallets of construction materials. The estimated value of the seizure is over half a million euros***.
Countering the criminal phenomenon of tobacco smuggling is a priority and permanent objective of the Romanian Border Police, both through its own institutional efforts and through collaboration with other state structures or representatives of civil society. Equally, we highlight the collaboration with cigarette manufacturers who, through the partnerships concluded, have also contributed to the development of the prevention segment of this phenomenon, both through the donations they have made and through national and regional public campaigns to raise awareness of the negative effects of the illegal cigarette trade.
” In the first three months of this year, border police officers seized approximately 10 million smuggled cigarettes, worth over 7.5 million lei, as well as significant quantities of tobacco. In addition to the damage to the state budget, illegal cigarette trafficking also fuels other criminal activities with a cross-border dimension, including organized crime. During this year, two criminal groups were identified and dismantled that operated both on Romanian and EU territory, with concerns in the sphere of illicit activities of transporting and trading considerable quantities of excisable products, namely cigarettes. In order to combat the phenomenon, we will continue to adapt our missions, dynamically and in close collaboration with all the factors involved”, declared the Inspector General of the Romanian Border Police, Police Principal Quaestor Cornel Laurian Stoica.
About cigarette smuggling in Romania
llicit cigarette trafficking costs the Romanian state approximately 2 billion lei annually, which is the equivalent of 500 km of modernized national roads.
Romania has 2,000 km of border with non-EU countries, where the price of tobacco can be up to three times lower.
Each container of illegal cigarettes means a million euros in profit for smuggling networks. Interpol data shows that illicit cigarette trafficking is a catalyst for drug, arms, human and even terrorist activities.
According to Novel Research data, the black market reached a record negative level in Romania in 2024 for the last 4 years: 9% of the total market. For comparison, in 2023 the annual average of smuggling was 8.2%, up by over one percentage point from the previous year.
Illicit tobacco trafficking remains a serious threat to community safety and economic development, by fostering criminal activity and tax evasion, which annually damages the Romanian state budget by approximately 2 billion lei*. According to the latest market research by Novel Research**, the black market reached a negative record level in the first half of 2025 for the last 4 years, exceeding the threshold of 10% of total consumption, compared to 9.1% in November 2024. The January level exceeds the 2024 annual average of 9%, the highest in the last four years. In terms of the origin of black market products, the largest share is held by Duty Free (35.2%), followed by Bulgaria with 32%, continuing the upward trend of the last 2 years, in the context of Romania's recent accession to the Schengen area.
*According to industry estimates
