Illegal cigarettes discovered in Valencia by National Police

CIGARETTE smugglers are looking further afield as it becomes more difficult to obtain illicit supplies locally and the latest seizure by the National Police saw 475,000 packs arrive from the United Arab Emirates.

Working closely with the Spanish Tax Agency, officers were alerted to the possible arrival of a container packed with cigarettes at Valencia Port by the British National Crime Agency who had been following its progress.

The contents were declared as plastic boxes with an intended final destination of Barcelona but the combined force tracked it to a warehouse in the town of Torrent in Valencia where they stepped in and arrested two people.

During the arrest, the container was opened and behind a screen of plastic boxes the officers discovered that the rest of the container was stacked full of packs of cigarettes which did not carry the requisite Spanish tax labels.

The arrest of the two individuals does not mean that the case is closed and officers continue to investigate whether others were involved and also try to identify the shippers.