- Border police officers, coordinated by prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, in cooperation with Europol, carried out a large-scale operation between 29-30 August 2026 to dismantle an organized crime group specializing in offenses related to illegal cigarette trafficking.
- During the operation, 22 home searches and 26 vehicle searches were carried out, six people were detained, and over 6.3 million cigarettes were seized.
Between 29-30 August 2026, judicial police officers from the Romanian Border Police, coordinated by prosecutors from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice, in cooperation with Europol, carried out a complex set of investigative activities, which included carrying out an in flagrante delicto operation and the execution of 22 home search warrants and 26 vehicle search orders.
On 29.08.2026, at around 9:30 p.m., a car and a truck were stopped in traffic for vehicle searches, as they had entered Romania through the Giurgiu municipality area. Upon inspection, a significant quantity of cigarettes was discovered in the truck's cargo hold, concealed within a shipment of goods consisting of onions.
The searches were carried out in Teleorman, Neamț, Bacău, Vaslui, Botoșani, Iași and Giurgiu counties, as well as in the city of Bucharest, and were the result of a complex investigation conducted over approximately six months.
The investigation focused on the activity of an organized crime group, made up of Romanian and Moldovan citizens, who, starting in 2025, allegedly brought into Romania over 70 million cigarettes, originating both from counterfeiting and from outside the European Union, which they allegedly went on to distribute and sell on the black market.
As for the method of operation, the cigarettes were allegedly brought into the country via the border with Bulgaria, hidden in temperature-controlled trucks. They were covered with various legally transported goods (fruits and vegetables), such as onions, oranges and melons.
The shipments were accompanied by escort vehicles, used to monitor the route and signal any authority checks ahead.
After entering Romania, the trucks would travel to storage facilities located in Teleorman, Neamț and Botoșani counties, where the cigarettes were unloaded and temporarily stored, before later being distributed and sold on the black market.
As a result of the procedural activities carried out between 29–30 August 2026, 6,337,197 cigarettes were seized, along with other material evidence. In addition, nine vehicles were seized for the purpose of instituting precautionary measures. Additionally, during the documentation of the illicit activities, a further 7,199,780 cigarettes were seized (https://www.politiadefrontiera.ro/ro/giurgiu/i--43406.html).
The total damage caused to the state budget is estimated at approximately 62,592,943 lei (11,941,826 euros).
The investigation is continuing into offenses of forming an organized crime group and possession or sale on Romanian territory, by any person, of excisable products subject to marking that are unmarked, improperly marked, or bear false markings, in excess of the 10,000-cigarette limit, in order to establish the full extent of the criminal activity, identify all persons involved, and take the legal measures required.
We note that the measures ordered represent a stage of the criminal proceedings, in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure, and in no way infringe upon the principle of the presumption of innocence.
