• The operations tighten the net around illicit organizations, which use sophisticated hidden compartments to evade customs inspections.

September 1, 2026. So far this year, the various operations deployed in the port of Algeciras have allowed the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard of Algeciras to seize more than 116,000 packs of contraband cigarettes.

These results are part of the control plans and strategies that both institutions carry out with the aim of detecting the routes of illicit introduction originating from Gibraltar as well as from other maritime and land routes. To this end, preventive controls and constant surveillance have been significantly reinforced at the main entry points and communication routes of the region.

The final blow: nearly 10,000 packs of cigarettes hidden in a truck

The effectiveness of this device has been evident in one of the latest operations, where officials from the Tax Agency of the Algeciras Customs and Civil Guards from the Fiscal Section managed to intercept a significant shipment in a vehicle coming from Tangier.

After proceeding to open and thoroughly inspect the vehicle, both the tractor unit and the trailer, a total of 9,900 packs of contraband cigarettes were found hidden inside. Specifically, 5,500 packs of Winston cigarettes and 4,900 packs of Chesterfield cigarettes were seized.

In total, the merchandise seized in this single shipment exceeds 58,500 euros. As a direct result of the intervention, the driver of the vehicle was arrested on the spot as the alleged perpetrator of a smuggling offense.