Illegal excise goods arrive in Latvia in a variety of ways – cars are smuggled across the border, with rafts floating through Daugava and hidden in train cargo. As of last Sunday in Riga, at the station, the freight train wagon between logs identified cigarettes without excise stamps of the Republic of Latvia. Criminal proceedings have now been initiated in relation to what has happened in the State Police and the persons associated with this crime are being clarified.
On the morning of May 24, in Riga, at the station, the railway employee, in one of the freight train wagons, identified cigarettes between the logs without the excise marks of the Republic of Latvia. A railway employee called the State Police to the scene.
At the site of the event, officers of the Riga Regional Council of the State Police arrived, who identified 119 200 units of tobacco products as being inspected. Some cigarette blocks had fallen between logs and could not be removed immediately without any special equipment.
The cargo was delivered to the clearance zone, where a further 19 140 cigarettes were removed without the excise stamps of the Republic of Latvia. A total of 138 340 illegal cigarettes have been removed from two wagons. It should be noted that the illegal cigarettes identified were manufactured at the starting point of the freight train route in Belarus, but it should be noted that this freight train also had staging points in Latvia.
On 25 May, criminal proceedings following Chapter 19 of the Criminal Law, on criminal offences in the economy, were launched in the State Police.
An active investigation is ongoing to identify persons involved in the purchase, possession and delivery of illegal cigarettes.
After performing procedural activities, the cigarettes alienated will be transferred to the State Revenue Service and the destruction thereof will be decided.