The vehicle was traveling on the RN12 linking Saint-Brieuc to Brest (Finistère) when he saw customs trying to intercept it on November 14. Its driver first sought to flee, confirming the suspicions of an offence. Leaving from Belgium, the motorist had almost arrived at his destination when he was finally intercepted by customs near Landivisiau. Inside his vehicle, officers discovered 550 cartons of cigarettes.
Marlboro brand, these contraband cigarettes represented a value of 57,750 euros on the French market. An amount that the driver of this vehicle will have to pay in the form of a customs fine. Much more than the 7,000 euros he had spent to buy the 500 cartridges in Belgium. All of the merchandise was destroyed. Arrested and placed in police custody, the 25-year-old man was tried in immediate appearance and sentenced to twelve months in prison, six of which were suspended.
In 2021, 402 tonnes of tobacco and cigarettes were seized by the French customs services and 18,284 findings made, i.e. 50 offenses recorded per day on average. For 2022, the trend is for a further increase in seizures, explain the customs. Although Brittany is not a hub for this traffic, customs are working to track down local “ant” type traffic. Nearly 600 kg have already been seized by the Breton customs services since the start of the year, more than for the whole of 2021.