This Wednesday, March 27, 2024, Avignon customs seized almost 11 tons of tobacco in a vehicle traveling on the A9.
Cigarettes for millions. This Wednesday evening, the internal customs surveillance brigade of Avignon carried out a check on a part of the A9. In a vehicle coming from Spain, almost 11 tons of tobacco were found instead of a load of textiles, informs the judicial court of Nîmes in a press release.
Not a first
In total, 1,040 boxes of 50 cartridges of 200 cigarettes (which makes 54,000 cartridges) were seized, which is equivalent to 10.4 million cigarettes, or 10.4 tons.
The man who was driving the truck was referred to the Nîmes Public Prosecutor’s Office and then placed in pre-trial detention. The driver, a Russian national, will appear in criminal court on April 2.
While the customs seizure may seem impressive, almost 11 tons of contraband cigarettes had already been found at the beginning of March, according to the prosecution. The driver involved was sentenced to prison, a customs fine of 520,000 euros and the goods were obviously confiscated.