Informative note

"The Customs and Excise Department (DAIIEE) complements its non-intrusive inspection strategy with the deployment of the "TOBAX - Tobacco detection using hand-held X-ray backscatter devices" project.

TOBAX has been funded by the European Union's HERCULE programme (https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu/policy/about-hercule-programmes_en) and has become a pioneering project in Spain due to its operating model.

In its search for new solutions for detecting illicit trafficking, the AEAT has launched two manual non-intrusive backscatter inspection equipment, being the first institution in the country to propose its use and obtain the corresponding authorization from the Nuclear Safety Council.

The hand-held devices have been delivered to the ports of Algeciras and Barcelona and will be included in the integration plan for non-intrusive inspection devices of the CESCAN , (Scanner Image Viewing Room) in the DAIIEE .

Two more devices of this type are expected to be launched in the near future for the customs offices in Bilbao and Vigo. These four teams will have the capacity to complement the actions carried out by the three Medusa vans that are currently in operation, since when these cannot inspect remote areas of light vehicles, manual teams will be able to carry out such inspections.

It is also expected to achieve good results when used on recreational vessels to detect illicit trafficking behind bulkheads without having to dismantle them, with the resulting economic savings if illegal substances are not transported and time savings for officials involved in inspecting this type of vessel on the high seas.