BASLE EXPRESS

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Container with contraband cigarettes intercepted

The Spanish tax agency Agencia Tributaria intercepted a container loaded with half a million packs of contraband cigarettes with a market value of about 1,5 million Euro . The container had arrived at Valencia on board of cthe "Basle Express" on July 15, 2017, and was checked by the customs, who found contraband cigarettes boxes, screened by boxes loaded with shoes. The customs didn’t apprehend the container, but was waiting for people who were to pick it up. Nine people, including one Spaniard and eight from Eastern Europe countries, were arrested, three trucks seized, one of them with Estonian plates. The container was shipped from Bangkok. The cigarettes of American Legend brand were produced in Eastern Europe, and how they got to Thailand was still a mystery. The haul was made on a tip from informer. The ship and its crew was mnot involved in the contraband trafficking. The vessel was approaching Malacca Strait in the evening of Aug 1, destined for Singapore.