Finland and Estonia are investigating a criminal case involving the illegal import of millions of cigarettes into Finland from Estonia and Latvia, reports The Baltic Times.
By failing to declare imports and pay taxes, Finland missed out on approximately €2 million ($2.18 million) in revenue, according to fiscal authorities.
Finnish and Estonian law enforcement officers recently seized two freight consignments containing a total of almost half a million cigarettes. The seizures are part of a criminal case estimated to involve the illegal import of about 6 million cigarettes spread over more than 20 different occasions between March and December 2022.
Some of the cigarettes were found to be counterfeit products.
During the criminal investigation, five persons have been apprehended in Finland and Estonia.
Sanctions on Russia and the sharp fall in traffic across Finland’s eastern border have shifted many illegal imports to postal and express freight transport, the Finnish customs authority reports.