• The tobacco was found inside the checked luggage of four passengers from Egypt

• The total value of the seized packages exceeds 25,000 euros

May 21, 2024.- Officials from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency in the Basque Country and civil guards from the Tax and Border Section of the Bilbao airport have intervened on the 19th April 6,000 packs of undeclared tobacco that were inside the luggage of four passengers from Egypt who had stopped in Athens (Greece).

The operational action has its origin in a communication received by Spanish Customs, within the framework of the coordination mechanisms between customs, according to which a consignment of tobacco could be illegally introduced through the Bilbao airport.

The Risk Analysis Unit of the Customs Precinct of the airport was alerted, made up of agents from the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and civil guards, and both institutions acting as State Fiscal Protection under the functional dependence of the Regional Customs Area of ​​the Basque Country , they detected four passengers with eight large suitcases that concealed some 6,000 packs of tobacco.

Due to these facts, each of the travelers was charged with an administrative violation of smuggling, due to the introduction of tobacco without the corresponding declaration at Customs.

Consequences of tobacco smuggling

Contraband tobacco, in addition to being a fraud on the Public Treasury, is not subject to the legally established quality controls. In turn, the benefits obtained by the organizations generate illegal profits and can be used to finance other types of criminal activities.

For more information you can contact the Regional Customs Unit E II.EE. Basque Country at 944255058 or with the OPC of the Civil Guard in Bizkaia, at telephone numbers 605891575 / 627213802.