Dresden (dpa / sn) – Customs officers have uncovered large-scale tobacco smuggling on Autobahn 4 in East Saxony. One million cigarettes and around 3,900 kilograms of water pipe tobacco were found on a trailer truck coming from Poland, as the main customs office in Dresden announced on Tuesday. An X-ray machine was used for the control. According to the freight documents, the load was to consist of scented candles and packaging material. However, the X-ray of the semi-trailer showed major discrepancies, which is why the officers decided to carry out a follow-up inspection.
The driver (46) of the semitrailer and a 51-year-old companion were provisionally arrested. A criminal case is now pending against them for tax evasion. The main customs office finally announced that tax damage of around 370,000 euros had been prevented.
