Romania seizes smuggled cigarettes worth 2.8-M euros

Romania’s custom authorities in southern port of Constanta on Monday captured 700,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, announced the Customs Directorate General in a statement. (Photo: Ken Yamaguchi/Flickr)

BUCHAREST—Romania’s custom authorities in southern port of Constanta on Monday captured 700,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, announced the Customs Directorate General in a statement.

The cigarettes, marked with brands of Gold Mount and Richman, have a market value of approximately 2.8 million euros (USD2.99 million), said the statement, adding that it is the most valuable boodle of smuggled cigarettes over the last four years.

According to the authorities, the cigarettes, wrapped in boxes without specific seals, were stored in a container from Thailand that transported copy machine paper as declared goods.

The custom authorities suspected that the cigarettes might also violate intellectual property rights for the Gold Mount and Richman brands.

The port of Constanta, Romania’s only gateway to the sea, is the largest port on the Black Sea and one of the largest ports in Europe. Being Romania’s only gateway to the sea, the port has been the main transit point for smuggling drugs and cigarettes.