A truck loaded with 550 thousand packets of contraband cigarettes was intercepted by the National Customs Service at the Quillagua outpost (Tarapacá Region). The vehicle was pretending to transport fruits and vegetables from Arica to Santiago and the customs value of the illicit cargo exceeds $1.320 billion pesos.
El Regional Director of the Iquique Customs, Cristian Molina Silva, said that based on profiles and risk analysis, a Chilean transport vehicle was intercepted for a special inspection with the institutional scanner truck. In this way, it was possible to establish that almost 90 percent of the semi-trailer contained cigarettes, which were specially stowed and covered with boxes of fruits and vegetables to try to confuse the inspection.
Molina Silva added that the shipment of cigarettes was not declared in the cargo manifest, was maliciously concealed and lacked any document to support its legal importation into the country, which is why the driver was charged with the crime of smuggling and the corresponding legal actions were initiated.
The inspectors found a total of 1.100 boxes containing 550 thousand cigarette packs of the Carnival, Fox, Eight, Hills and Gift brands. The investigation established that the sales value of the illicit shipment reached $1.320 billion (USD 1.609.756) and the tax evasion amounted to $1.339 billion (USD 1.632).
The Regional Director of the Iquiqueña customs added that during this year a total of 4.154.997 packets have been seized in the Tarapacá Region with an estimated evasion of US$ 17.044.833, which means a del% increase 195 compared to the same period last year.
"We must highlight the work carried out at all control points and remember that, in addition to the tax issue, these are goods that lack traceability and are often contaminated or expired," he concluded.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
