In 2009, the border policemen - independently or in
cooperation with representatives of other structures - seized
approximately 7,350,000 smuggled cigarette packets, amounting to
more than 7.2 MLN Euros (29,462,206 lei).
"The merchandise" was traded on the black markets in the country or
abroad and originated from Ukraine and Republic of Moldova, and the
persons involved were, in most of the cases, Moldovans, Ukrainians
or Romanians.
In the same period, within the actions undertaken in the field of
preventing and countering smuggling with consumer goods and
precious metals, the border policemen detected goods intended for
black trading amounting to more than 102 MLN lei, as well as more
than 10.5 kg. of gold jewels and 83 kg. of silver jewels.
In 2009 (11 months), the border policemen - independently or in cooperation with Customs or representatives of other structures - detained in order to seize approximately 7,350,000 smuggled cigarette packets, amounting to more than 7.2 MLN Euros (29.462.206 lei).
These were detected both at the entry in the country - in the border crossing points or at "the green border" - and at the exit to Schengen states, the aim of the persons involved was to trade them on the black outlets in our country, especially the ones from the Western Europe, where the price of a cigarette packet is four times bigger than in Romania.
From the recorded casuistry it resulted that the traffickers originated, predominantly, from Romania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova but also from other states, such as: Turkey, Russia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Hungary etc.
The most trafficked cigarette brands were: Saint George, Marble, Monte Carlo, Ronson, L&M, Marlboro etc., and the most "active" borders, from the point of view of attempts to introduce the cigarettes in Romania, were the Eastern, Northern and South-Western ones. Thus:
1. at the Eastern border - the cigarettes originating from Republic of Moldova were predominant, their introduction in the country was realized through border points, either in large quantities, in special transportation means, or in small quantities - according to the customs limits - by natural persons. 2. at the Northern border - the cigarettes originating from Ukraine were predominant, the traffickers - organized in criminal groups, with branches abroad, at the border and inside the country - trying to cross the cigarette packets over the green border, during night. 3. in the counties from south-west - generally, cigarettes of medium and superior quality were detected, purchased from duty-free shops and transported over the border, in small quantities by natural persons.Another method used by the traffickers was to hide large quantities of smuggled cigarettes in the trucks among the cargoes transported by legal persons ("lid" method) or even modifying the transportation means, creating special arranged places.
This method was used especially at the exit from the country at the Western border and at the entry, at the south-western and eastern border.
Out of the significant cases recorded in 2009, we present the following:
SUCEAVA (August, 2009):
An important
criminal group made up by Romanian and Ukrainian citizens,
specialized in smuggling with Ukrainian cigarettes, was neutralized
as a result of the actions carried out by Romanian Border Police -
Suceava County Inspectorate of Border Police and D.I.I.C.O.T.
Prosecutors, with the support of D.G.I.P.I. and in collaboration
with Suceava County Inspectorate of Police and Suceava Gendarmerie
County Inspectorate.
On 29.08.2009, based on information obtained by the border
policemen in Suceava and as a result of a long monitoring of the
criminal activity, three persons were identified - Romanian
citizens - who went to the state border. Here, they met with a
Ukrainian citizen, from whom they took several cartons of
cigarettes of Ukrainian origin. The persons involved introduced
illegally the cigarettes in the country by smuggling.
After they took the cigarettes, they went to Straja locality, when
the border policemen who were monitoring the traffickers by means
of the thermovision vehicle started the flagrant apprehension of
the smugglers. During the action, two persons, C. Constantin aged
31 and C. Gheorghe aged 27, both residing in Straja locality,
Suceava county, were detained and a third man succeeded to
disappear in the crop fields nearby.
In order to detain them, the border policemen had to use the
endowed weapons, according to the legal provisions, shooting a
warning fire vertically.
As a result of the investigations, 8 cartons of cigarettes ("MORE"
brand), with Ukrainian stamp were discovered in the area, abandoned
by the three smugglers, containing 4,000 cigarette packets
amounting to 16,800 lei.
At the same time, two house searches in the residences of C.
Constantin and C. Gheorghe were carried out, and the following
goods were seized: 10 mobile phones; 7 SIM cards; 1 binocular; 62
cigarette packets originating from Ukraine.
Also, 3 peremptory writs were executed following to execute another
12 peremptory writs, 17 persons involved in the criminal activity
were identified due to the investigations carried out by the border
policemen.
The monitoring of the criminal activities established the fact that
the group introduced illegally in Romania and transacted an
important quantity of cigarettes originating from Ukraine , its
value on the market was approximately 200,000 Euros.
At the same time, the border authorities in Ukraine were informed
in order to investigate the event jointly and to identify the other
persons involved.
GALATI (August, 2009):
For six
months, the border policemen from Galati carried out an operation -
called "Typhoon Operation" for the documentation of criminal
activity and evidence collecting of a network dealing with
cigarettes smuggling originating from Ukraine and Republic of
Moldova acting at the level of Galati and Tulcea Counties.
The network was made up by Romanian and foreign citizens from
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the coordinators of the network
were Dumitru P., Viorel P. and Mihaita P. aged between 22 and 28,
members of the same family.
On 06.08.2009, starting with 05.00, in a joint action, under the
direct coordination of D.I.I.C.O.T. Prosecutors - Galati
Territorial Service, the border policemen from Galati assisted by
the employees within Galati Gendarmerie County Insp.ectorate acted
and realized a raid aimed to carry out house searches in three
locations from Grindu village, in Tulcea County.
On this occasion, different documents, telecommunication means,
several goods and amounts of money resulting from the criminal
activity were collected as evidence means (2,000 lei and 8,200
Euros).
The total amount of confiscated cigarettes is more than 45,000
cigarettes packets, amounting to more than 200,000 lei.
Under the direct coordination of D.I.I.C.O.T. Prosecutors, Galati
Territorial Office, the border policemen carry out investigations
for committing "smuggling" and "establishing an organized criminal
group", facts provided and punished by the law in force.
The prejudice created to the Romanian state, calculated at the
present time by D.R.A.O.V. Galati, is more than 310,000 lei.
On the names of the three citizens from Galati - Dumitru P., Viorel
P. and Mihaita P. - preventive arrest warrants for 29 days were
issued on 07.08.2009 by Galati Court.
At the same time, other two persons were forbidden to exit the
country, and against the citizens from Republic of Moldova and the
Ukrainian citizen were taken the necessary measures by the
competent bodies of the neighbouring states.
ARAD (March, 2009):
The border
policemen from Arad discovered in a truck transporting hamburger
buns from Greece for companies in Germany, approximately 370,000
smuggled cigarette packets amounting to about 520,000 Euros.
On 09.03.2009, at Nadlac Border Crossing Point, the German citizen
Jurij D. aged 44, driving a freight vehicle presented himself to
exit the country. According to the accompanying documents of the
freight, the driver was transporting 12 tons of hamburger buns from
Greece to a commercial company in Germany.
At the check, the border policemen realized that between the real
cargo of the truck and the one written in the documents was a
difference of 500 kg., fact which became suspicious regarding the
transported cargo.
Our employees carried out a thorough control of the transportation
mean and 368,160 cigarette packets (Jin Ling brand) were discovered
in the freight compartment hidden through "lid" method, for which
the driver did not hold provenance and transport supporting
documents.
Within the preliminary investigations, the driver stated that he
did not know about the existence of the cigarettes - whose value on
the market is 2,208,960 lei (approximately 520,000 Euros).
The entire quantity of the cigarettes was handed over to the
customs inspectors within Regional Directorate for Excises and
Customs Operations in Timisoara, which detained in order to seize
both the cigarettes and the freight vehicle, following to sanction
the driver according to the legal norms in force.
Besides preventing and countering trafficking with smuggled cigarettes, the border policemen acted in the competence areas and for countering trafficking with consumer goods and precious metals, phenomenon which maintains at a high level, as a result of the substantial profits obtained by the persons involved in selling on the black market of these freights.
In 2009, within the actions carried out in the border crossing points and on the radius of 30 km from the border line to the interior, the border policemen detected:
smuggled freights consisting of approximately 40,000 kg. of coffee, 8,689 liters of alcohol, home appliances, clothing etc. whose estimative total value is 102.06 MLN lei; 584 economic-financial crimes, produced by persons from Republic of Moldova, China, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia and Romania were ascertained; 10,591 kg. of gold jewels and 83,341 kg. of silver jewels were detained in order to seize.In all cases, the persons involved did not hold provenience, transport documents or authorizations for carrying out import / export operations, reason for which, according to law, they were sanctioned or, depending on the gravity of the act, they were issued criminal files.
Having in view the prejudices brought to the state budget, the Romanian Border Police will continue to undertake, together with the other competent institutions, firm measures in all the competence areas in order to detect and sanction the persons involved in illegal trafficking with consumer goods (including cigarettes), as well as to detain for seizure the trafficked freights.