Portugese Operation “Survivor”: Fishing vessel seized with 1.8 tons of cocaine
The Portuguese authorities have seized approximately 1.8 tonnes of cocaine following a maritime interception operation targeting an organised criminal group
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Smuggling
Smuggling of Goods – pharmaceuticals, booze/alcohol and tobacco
€374,000 in undeclared cash found concealed in jacket at –Serbia-Bulgaria border
Officers from the Serbian Border Police, Serbian Customs and Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, have intercepted more
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Caribbean Customs operation seizes rising number of illegal firearms, disrupting organized criminal networks
Operation CALYPSO 2 was led by the WCO for the second consecutive year in response to the growing threat posed
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Polish Border Guards Foil Innovative Smuggling Operation Using Weather Balloons
Officers from the Nadbużański Border Guard Unit successfully thwarted a smuggling operation involving illegal tobacco products transported via weather balloons.
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Smugglers using weather balloons arrested
During Border Guard operations to identify individuals involved in cigarette smuggling using weather balloons, a total of four Polish citizens
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Cigarettes and heated tobacco products detained by customs officers in the Silistra region
Bulgarian customs officers at Lesovo BCP discovered 190 000 (9500 boxes) of smuggled cigarettes in a truck carrying metal products.
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Over 700 000 smuggled cigarettes in thermal panels were found by customs officers at Lesovo BCP
Bulgarian customs officers at Lesovo BCP discovered 711 000 pieces (35 550 boxes) of smuggled cigarettes in insulating thermal panels
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Illegal tobacco distribution scheme uncovered in Townsville, Australia
Officers from the Australian Border Force (ABF) have carried out operational activity to disrupt the distribution of illicit tobacco in
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Illegal shipments in the Polish sky
Four packages containing tobacco products were discovered by officers from the Podlaskie Border Guard. The cigarettes were smuggled in using
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Packages containing illegal cigarettes smuggled from Belarus into Poland using weather balloons
Over the holiday weekend, officers from the Podlaskie Border Guard Unit discovered five packages containing contraband cigarettes. Fragments of weather
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US CBP seizes over $407,000 of unapproved pharma
In late October, Cincinnati U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation special
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30,000 Tramadol pills intercepted by US CBP in Cincinnati
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati seized a shipment on Dec. 4 containing 30,000 Tramadol tablets, a schedule
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Romanian Border Guards seize over 54,000 cigarettes found hidden in the doors, floor, seats and walls of a minibus
Border guards from the Nădlac Border Police Sector carried out random and unsystematic checks on the communication routes near the border. On
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Weather balloons with illegal shipment
Officers from the Polish Border Guard post in Kuźnica, Lipsk commune, discovered two packages wrapped in black foil, along with
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Romanian Border Guards seize cigarettes worth 6.7 million lei discovered in a truck
Border police officers from the Nădlac Border Police Sector carried out random and unsystematic checks on the communication routes near the border.
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In Romania, over 186 million contraband cigarettes seized by authorities in 2025 – over three times more than in 2024
In the first 10 months of 2025, Romanian authorities seized over 186 million contraband cigarettes, with an estimated black market
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A criminal organization dedicated to the international smuggling of tobacco and nitrous oxide has been dismantled in Spain
Spanish National Police officers, in a joint operation with Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, have dismantled a criminal organization
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First-of-its-kind global Customs operation uncovers dual threat of illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive material
The World Customs Organization (WCO) demonstrated the important role Customs play in protecting society from the illicit movement of dangerous
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