• A person arrested after being caught transporting tobacco in a vehicle that has been seized

• The value of the seized goods exceeds 150,000 euros

July 27, 2023.- Customs Surveillance Officers of the Tax Agency seized almost 34,000 packs of contraband cigarettes on July 17 in the town of Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) and arrested the person who was transporting them.

The investigation began last May, when investigators learned that the individual under investigation could be involved in tobacco smuggling. For this reason, a discreet surveillance and monitoring device was established on him for several weeks.

As a result of their surveillance efforts, Customs Surveillance officers were able to identify the vehicle used to transport the illicit goods and, thanks to their monitoring, were able to locate the warehouse from which the seized tobacco came.

Discreet surveillance of the location made it possible to identify the driver of the vehicle when he entered a storage room located inside a garage where the tobacco was stored. They were cigarette packets without the seals that guarantee their legitimate sale and with the required health warnings in English.

Once the tobacco was located, and after verifying that the value of the shipment far exceeded the limit established by law to classify the crime of smuggling, the Customs Surveillance agents proceeded to arrest the alleged perpetrator of the events.

In addition, investigators proceeded to seize the tobacco, both that found in the warehouse and that found inside the vehicle driven by the detainee, a resident of Jerez de la Frontera, who is accused of an alleged crime of smuggling.

The final tobacco count is 33,849 packs of cigarettes of various brands.

Once the operation was completed, both the detainee and the seized tobacco were transferred to the Customs Surveillance facilities in Jerez in order to formalize the report and carry out the relevant legal proceedings.

The actions, the vehicle, the effects and the seized goods have been made available to the investigating court on duty in Jerez de la Frontera.

This action is part of the control plan established by the Tax Agency in the fight against smuggling.