Temporary customs control zones will be created to effectively combat smuggling

To effectively combat smuggling of excisable goods (primarily cigarettes) in Transcarpathia, enhanced measures are being taken to monitor the cargo traffic not only at the state border, but also at the entrance to Transcarpathia from neighboring regions.

Hennadiy Moskal held a special meeting with the heads of customs office, border guard service, law enforcement agencies and the heads of district state administration, during which he gave instructions to arrange temporary customs control zones at checkpoints in Nyzhni Vorota and Lazeshchyna. It is through these two checkpoints that the lion’s share of goods from other Ukrainian regions comes to Transcarpathia.

From now on, not only tax officers and police will be able to control the flow of goods, but also border guards and customs officials who will have the right to inspect cargo at the entrance to the region. Enhanced monitoring of cargo on the two passes is required to reduce the amount of cigarettes delivered here for further smuggling outside checkpoints.   

– We have to introduce enhanced control regime in Transcarpathia – Hennadiy Moskal said. – If we fail to control the situation with smuggling of cigarettes here, we will have the same situation as that with amber in Rivne, Volyn and Zhytomyr regions. However, all our measures will have only a temporary effect without legislative support from Kyiv. I therefore initiate a visiting session of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on tax and customs policy. Recently, the Verkhovna Rada failed to pass the bill on the return of criminal liability for smuggling of tobacco and alcoholic products, sending it back for revision. We will try to convince the people’s deputies to put this needed law to a vote again and pass it. Without legislative support from Kyiv, we cannot talk about any serious fight against smuggling.