More than 12,000 packets of contraband cigarettes seized in Axarquía town

Spanish customs officers together with the Guardia Civil have seized 12,250 packets of contraband cigarettes, some of which were being transported inside a vehicle, while the rest were being stored in a garage in Torre del Mar, on the Costa del Sol.

The haul was discovered when officers found twelve boxes containing 6,000 packets of tobacco after stopping a vehicle in the town last Friday, according to a police statement. The merchandise had been taken from a garage that was being used as a warehouse and where a further 6,250 packets were found.

The operation concluded with the arrest of the person driving the vehicle, who has been charged with an alleged smuggling offence and the seizure of a total of 12,250 packets of tobacco which lacked the corresponding tax seals and whose value is close to 50,000 euros. The vehicle used to transport the goods was also seized, as well as 11,650 euros in cash that the detainee was carrying at the time.

Both the items seized and the detainee have been placed at the disposal of the magistrate's court in Vélez-Málaga.