• The officers located 4,050 packs of cigarettes in his luggage, valued at approximately 19,500 euros.

• The detainee came from Luanda (Angola) via Frankfurt (Germany)

August 31, 2026. Officials from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, together with Civil Guard officers from the Fiscal and Border Section of Bilbao Airport, have arrested a passenger for smuggling after discovering 4,050 undeclared packs of cigarettes in her checked luggage. The passenger was from Luanda (Angola).

Civil Guards and agents of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, with both institutions acting as State Fiscal Guard under the functional dependence of the Regional Customs Unit of the Tax Agency in the Basque Country, carry out daily, among other actions, inspections of passengers and luggage according to preventive risk criteria at Bilbao airport.

As part of these actions, the agents inspected the luggage of a passenger on the flight from Frankfurt (Germany), locating a total of 4,050 packs of cigarettes that had been brought into the national territory without being declared, valued at 19,440 euros.

Given these facts, the passenger was arrested as the alleged perpetrator of a smuggling offense, as she far exceeded the economic threshold established in current regulations, which sets the value of goods or effects at 15,000 euros for the consideration of a smuggling offense. The corresponding proceedings were initiated by the Fiscal and Border Section of the Bilbao airport, which were sent to the Civil and Criminal Section of the Court of First Instance on duty in Bilbao.

Recommendations for travelers

The Civil Guard and the Tax Agency remind that the entry of tobacco products from third countries is subject to limits and customs obligations, so exceeding the permitted quantities may imply the obligation to declare them and pay the corresponding taxes.

Before traveling, it is recommended to check the limits established for this type of product and, if in doubt, declare the merchandise to Customs Services upon arrival at the airport.

It is also advisable not to transport luggage, packages or goods belonging to third parties without knowing their exact contents, as the traveler is responsible for the items they bring into the national territory.