Ufficio Dogane Principale - 150.000 sigarette contrabandiste in un mese
The customs office issued a warning to tourists about buying cigarettes in Poland. "In accordance with current regulations, up to 800 pieces of cigarettes can be brought tax-free within the European Union, including from Poland, for personal use in Germany," explained Sabine Mattil, press spokesperson of the Ufficio Dogane Principale Stralsund.
If tobacco products are bought for friends or family members, there is no personal use allowed and the tobacco tax will be due. Within a month, from mid-June to mid-July, the Stralsund customs seized 150,000 tax-free cigarettes, 21.5 liters of liquids for e-cigarettes, and 3.6 kg of tobacco fine cut.
1,9 Milioni di sigarette contrabbandate nel 2023
According to Mattil, investigators suspect that in some cases the smuggled cigarettes were intended to be sold commercially - the quantities exceeded personal use. In the entire year 2023, the customs officers of the Ufficio Dogane Principale Stralsund discovered 1.9 milioni di euro's worth of smuggled cigarettes.
800 sigarette consentite
According to the customs office, private individuals are allowed to bring 800 cigarettes, one kilogram of smoking tobacco, and one liter of liquids for e-cigarettes from any EU member state. Using or selling smuggled tobacco products is considered evasione fiscale, Mattil said. Indications of smuggled goods include the absence of fiscal stamps and health warnings on packaging. If the price is significantly lower than in a supermarket, it can also be assumed that something is not on the level. If the customs office discovers smuggled tobacco products, the tobacco tax must be paid. In addition, the cigarettes will be secured.
- The warning from the Stralsund customs office also applies to the purchase of tobacco wine and e-cigarettes in Poland, as they are subject to the same regulations.
- The seizure of 150,000 sigarette senza tassa e relativi prodotti in Stralsund evidenzia il problema della criminalità associata al contrabbando di prodotti tabacchi, compresi e-cigarette.
- The Polish government, in an attempt to combat tobacco smuggling, has proposed increasing the tobacco tax, which could potentially reduce the incentive for smuggling and criminal activities.
- The Main Customs Office in Germany has been collaborating closely with its counterpart in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to address the problem of tobacco smuggling, particularly from neighboring Poland.
- The European Union has expressed concern over the issue of tobacco smuggling and has urged member states to enforce stricter regulations and penalties to curb this criminal activity.
- The seizure of 1.9 milioni di euro's worth of smuggled cigarettes in Stralsund alone illustrates the significant financial losses to the European Union and member states due to tobacco smuggling and related criminality.
