On social networks, Andorran customs announced that they had seized nearly 16,000 packages of contraband tobacco. The value of the loot is estimated at more than 62,500 euros. It was in Ariège that the operation took place. The Dispatch reveals that the packages were hidden in “natural cavities”. This investigative work led to a very important seizure for the region.
Investigators spotted and then tracked the smugglers from the ski resort, Pas de la Casa. The latter hid the tobacco “under stakes and in different places near the Ariège river, taking advantage of natural cavities” announced the police.
Joint action to succeed in this operation
The principality’s law enforcement agencies welcomed “joint action on both sides of the border”. This association between the different police forces was possible in particular thanks to the Hospitalet gendarmerie brigade and joint patrols.
The contraband packages will be destroyed and the area searched thoroughly to check for the presence or absence of other packages. The region is conducive to this type of trafficking due to its proximity to the various borders. Law enforcement officials are refining their methods to increase seizures.