Customs Officers Find 64,000 Packs of Cigarettes Hidden on Passenger Bus

Customs officers discovered a stash of 64,000 packs of cigarettes hidden aboard a passenger bus that arrived in Sochi from Abkhazia, according to a statement published on the official Telegram channel of the Federal Customs Service of Russia.

The concealed shipment was found on the roof of the vehicle after it arrived at the Adler checkpoint. The cigarettes, which lacked excise stamps, were valued at approximately 8.7 million rubles.

A criminal case has been opened on charges of large-scale tobacco smuggling committed by a group of individuals acting in prior conspiracy. The offense carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, as well as a fine of up to one million rubles.

Earlier, a foreign national was detained at a Russian airport after attempting to bring in jewelry worth 18.5 million rubles from the United Arab Emirates.