Smuggling from Kryvyi Rih: 1,520 packs of cigarettes under ore were discovered on the border with Slovakia

On the evening of February 24, a consignment of contraband cigarettes hidden in a freight train heading from Kryvyi Rih to the Slovak city of Kosice was discovered at the Ukrainian-Slovak border.

This incident happened at the checkpoint “Pavlové-Mativtse”. During customs control, employees of the Transcarpathian Customs, together with border guards, inspected a cargo train transporting iron ore for export to Slovakia, as reported by the Customs Service of Ukraine.

Customs officials drew attention to a suspicious shift in the cargo of one of the wagons. For a detailed inspection, they used metal probes and shovels. As a result, 152 blocks of “Compiment” cigarettes were found under the iron ore pellets, bringing the total to 1,520 packs.

Tobacco products were found without the excise stamps of Ukraine. For camouflage, they were wrapped in black polyethylene film and hidden beneath a layer of the main cargo.

Transcarpathian customs sent a notification to the territorial administration of the Bureau of Economic Security about the possible commission of a criminal offense under Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

After completing all the necessary procedures, the freight train continued its route to Slovakia.