Overview

• Customs at Munich Airport intercepted about 600,000 cigarettes packed in several cartons after a married couple used the green channel for goods not requiring declaration.
• The couple were arrested, a criminal case was opened, and the estimated tax loss is about €100,000 with the Munich customs investigation unit leading further inquiries.
• In separate operations, the Stralsund customs office seized nearly 50,000 untaxed cigarettes within a few days during routine road controls and initiated tax-criminal proceedings.
• Stops included an October 3 check at the Pomellen border that uncovered 10,000 cigarettes the driver said he intended to sell in the Netherlands and an October 7 check on the B111 with roughly 15,400 cigarettes bearing Polish tax stamps.
• A customs spokeswoman said the findings reflect strong tobacco demand and regular inflows of excise-taxable cigarettes from Poland, which customs target with suspicion-independent checks.