Customs seize 47 tons of cigarettes worth $10 million

TIRANA, May 19 – Police and port authorities in Albania said they have stopped smuggling of 47 tons of cigarettes and 840 kilograms of coffee in renewed efforts to stop smuggling in the country.
Last weekend, the coast guard forced a merchant ship, Era 1, to return to an Albanian port after it left without permission. Police arrested four of its Ukrainian crew after 47 tons of cigarettes were found on board without any documentation and excise stamps.
The ship had come from neighboring Greece and had stopped in Albania due to bad weather. It aimed at going to neighboring Montenegro. After stopping at Vlore port they left it without telling port authorities.
Albania’s custom head Elisa Spiropali said the cigarettes were worth $10 million and underlined the customs office’s determination to strengthen the fight against contraband and corruption.
“We are determined to continue our fight against smugglers and traffickers and their links with power,” she said.
Prime Minister Edi Rama also praised the work of the customs office in its Twitter page.
“When 47 tons of cigarettes are seized that means that the customs office cannot be bought like it was before,” he said.
In another move customs confiscated 840 kilograms of smuggled coffee in northern Kukes city while it was being transported in a vehicle without the proper documentation toward capital Tirana. The driver was arrested.
It is suspected that the coffee was smuggled from Kosovo.