Tobacco hiding place in the car bottom hasn’t saved the Ukrainian from liability

Today (05/05/12) the employees of the customs point "Uzhgorod" foiled an attempt of illegal transfer abroad of more than 3200 packs of cigarettes, concealed from the customs control in a specially equipped car recesses. A 37-year-old Ukrainian had decided to cross Ukrainian-Slovak border at 5 a.m., apparently expecting that customs officers would be tired, and deliberately chose for his car "VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT" a simplified customs control strip – the "green corridor"- so that he could easily and quickly transfer concealed goods. However, the customs officers decided to conduct a thorough inspection of the car, the result of which instantly dispelled the myth of the honest intentions of our compatriot.

In the car, in specially constructed hiding places there were found 3236 packs of cigarettes of foreign brand production «Jin Ling» (without excise stamps), hidden from customs control and not claimed in the oral questioning. 138 packs of cigarettes were placed in a specially made storage – metal containers, which were attached under the front right and left wings of the car. Access to them became possible after removing the battery and the air filter. 2960 packs were in the hiding place, equipped on the perimeter of the luggage compartment bottom of the car in the form of a double bottom. These were reached by the customs officers after dismantling the rear bumper and opening specially made holes, covered with metal sheets and through a fuel pump installation hatch. As the man explained, the hidden cigarettes did not belong to him, he was transferring them to Slovakia for a cash reward.

Chop customs wrote a protocol on the violation of the current legislation under the Articles 339 and 352 Part 1 of ISU. The discovered tobacco, estimated at more than 16 thousand hryvnia, and the car at a price of 70,000 hryvnia were seized until the court decision is made.