Border police officers from the Territorial Service of the Dolj Border Police discovered a tanker within their area of jurisdiction, inside which 1.8 million untaxed cigarettes were hidden.
On the evening of February 13, 2025, border police officers from TSBP Dolj carried out a specific operation in their area of competence to combat cross-border crime, focusing on smuggling.
Thus, around 11:50 PM, our colleagues stopped a tanker for inspection in the locality of Cetate, in which the driver claimed to be transporting gas.
Upon a preliminary check of the vehicle, the border police officers noticed that the screws on the cargo compartment door showed recent signs of tampering, prompting them to escort the tanker to the institution’s headquarters for a thorough inspection.
After opening the cargo compartment, it was found that there was no gas inside but an impressive quantity of cigarettes. Upon inventory, the total amounted to 1,800,000 untaxed cigarettes, valued at 270,000 euros.
An investigation has been launched for the offense of smuggling, and further inquiries are ongoing to establish the full extent of the criminal activity and to hold all involved persons accountable.
Even after Romania's full integration into the Schengen Area, the vigilance of border police officers remains heightened. This is evidenced by cases of illegal migration and smuggling of various goods that our colleagues continue to detect periodically during unsystematic checks carried out at communication nodes within their jurisdiction. Only in the last few days, two individuals have been arrested for attempting to facilitate the illegal entry of two groups of migrants at the border with Bulgaria.
