Customs officers found nearly 1,000 cartons of cigarettes hidden in a coach. Source: FCS Russia.
North Ossetian customs found a cache of smuggled cigarettes in a passenger coach that arrived from Georgia via the Verkhny Lars checkpoint.
Inspectors discovered 986 cartons under the floor and behind the ceiling lining, totalling 600 kg with a value exceeding RUB 1.3 million.
The offender was a 51-year-old foreign national who said he had concealed the tobacco in the coach bodywork in Armenia and was bringing it into Russia for personal use.
The vehicle and goods were seized. A criminal case was opened under Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code; he faces up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to RUB 1 million.
