Friday, January 16, 2009

Cigarette gang leader arrested

Poland’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBS) has arrested a 53-year-old businessman from Pomerania for organizing a ring of cigarette smugglers between China and the U.K.

The gang bought knock-off cigarettes produced in China for 30 cents, transport them by sea to Poland, by truck to the U.K., and sell them to unsuspecting Brits as brand-name cigarettes for an average of six pounds.

The arrest of Zbigniew L., the leader of the international ring of cigarette smugglers, is just another step in a two-year effort to shut down this particular ring of smugglers. Police have already arrested 43 people in connection with this group.

Last March, a heavy-goods vehicle transporting 340,000 packages of cigarettes was stopped near Torun, central Poland. A man arrested with the vehicle was found to have over 2 million euro, over half a million British pounds and nine kilograms of gold bricks in his possession.
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