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Estonian parlt panel briefed about contraband goods found on Navy vessel

BC, Tallinn, 21.11.2016.Print version
The Estonian minister of defense, commander of the defense forces and attorney general on Monday gave the parliamentary National Defense Committee an overview of liquor and tobacco smuggling on the minehunter Sakala.

"The committee received an overview of the circumstances that led to the discovery of the incident as well as the initial assessments of the minister, the defense chief and the chief prosecutor. This is a shameful and absolutely inadmissible incident that damages the reputation of Estonian Navy," vice chair Mart Helme said through spokespeople for the Riigikogu adding that it warrants a thorough investigation to establish the exact circumstances and punish the perpetrators.


According to Minister of Defense Hannes Hanso and commander of the defense forces Lt. Gen. Riho Terras, the ministry and the defense forces will also review the regulations concerning the defense forces with a view to amending them where necessary.


Officers of the customs department of the Tax and Customs Board found 56 cases of cigarettes and around 1,000 liters of strong liquor, all of it without revenue stamps, on the minehunter that is part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1). The officials did not reveal the country of origin of the contraband goods. The Tax and Customs Board was notified about the case by the Navy command.


The agency opened an investigation to find out to whom the illegal goods belonged and whether they were dealing with a misdemeanor or a crime. The discovered amount exceeds the maximum limit of a misdemeanor five-fold.


Since there were more than 30 people on the Sakala at the time of the check, it was being investigated to whom the liquor and cigarettes belonged, a spokesman for the agency told LETA/BNS last week. The main objective of the investigation is to find out whether a crew member owned contraband liquor and cigarettes in an amount that would make the matter a crime, he explained.






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