Romanian police have discovered over 59 million cigarettes and more than three tons of tobacco during the first seven months of 2025. Authorities issued 554 administrative sanctions totaling approximately 4.67 million lei, according to the Romanian General Inspectorate of Police (IGPR), inform Agerpres.
As many as 231 integrated operations targeted tobacco smuggling nationwide between January and July, resulting in 264 criminal cases involving 391 suspects.
In early June, a record seizure of contraband cigarettes and a cross-border criminal group was dismantled with international cooperation involving Italian authorities (Guardia di Finanze) and OLAF. Approximately 2,500 cartons of cigarettes (25 million cigarettes) were seized, while in Italy, a clandestine factory producing for the European illegal market was uncovered, reportedly operated by Romanian, Moldovan, and Italian nationals," IGPR spokesperson, Police Chief Commissioner Octavian Dan said on Saturday in a press release.
Police dismantled 14 criminal groups linked to tobacco smuggling and reported 308 offenses under the Customs Code, Fiscal Code, and Law no. 241/2005 against tax evasion. They also seized and confiscated 59,763,845 cigarettes and 3,095 kilograms of tobacco.
Octavian Dan recalled that in mid-June 2025, over 1.3 million cigarettes of various brands, either unstamped or improperly stamped, were discovered and seized for further investigation.
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