VIENNA: Austria Customs Office in the city of Graz arrested five cigarette smugglers who have smuggled about 1.3 million cigarettes from Serbia to Austria. Investigators first caught their trail when a car was pulled over during a routine inspection in Spieled in the state of Styria where over 60,000 cigarettes of foreign origin were found in custom-made cavities in the vehicle.
The Customs Office stated in a press release Wednesday that the five suspects were from Hungary, Austria and Serbia, aged between 35 and 50.
Subsequent investigations led to the international smuggling ring, with a February 2015 customs seizure in Vienna leading to a Hungarian supplier and Austrian recipient being caught during a transaction. The Hungarian was found to have 65,300 cigarettes also hidden in his car, and both men were arrested.
Further investigations led to five house searches in the Vienna area, where further large amounts of cigarettes as well as cash were found, and resulted in the arrest of another Austrian and two Serbs.
Authorities seized nine vehicles used to transport the cigarettes, as well as some weapons.
The total loss for the Austrian taxpayer through the illegal cigarettes is about 275,000 U.S. dollars, authorities said. The penalty for the offenders is up to five years in prison, and up to 1.1 million U.S. dollars in fines or compensation.
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