Polish police have seized over 21.5 million cigarettes which had been brought into the country without having Polish excise stamps.
Polsat News has reported that the total value of the products is estimated to be around 16 million PLN (3.5 million euros).
The discovery of the stash of illegal products was made in the city of Płońsk, and has been supervised by the local prosecution office. According to the Central Investigation Bureau of the Police, the security services had received information regarding the existence of a warehouse with illegal excise goods in the city.
The Central Bureau of Investigation claimed that if these cigarettes had been sold, the State Treasury would have lost out on almost 26 million PLN in lost income from VAT, excise duty and customs duties.
The operation to investigate the warehouse led to eight people being detained. On top of this, two SUVs were also impounded by the police. Those who were arrested have been charged with participation in an organised criminal group and with excise handling. They will be temporarily held in custody.
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