Tobacco smugglers caught entering Valencia

GUARDIA CIVIL officers have confiscated 3,500 packets of tobacco and have arrested five people at customs in the Manises airport of Valencia.

Sources report that the five men, of Moldovan origin, were attempting to smuggle the cigarettes into Spain by hiding them in their luggage.

According to a police statement, the men were arrested on separate occasions between September 25 and September 27 after disembarking flights from Moscow.

On examination of the passengers’ baggage, a total of 3,516 packets of cigarettes of various brands were found hidden within the smugglers’ suitcases.

The five men are aged between 27 and 54 and have been accused of breaking contraband laws.

The arrests have been hailed as a success by the authorities in charge of stamping out smuggling both to and from Valencia’s airport.