Baltic States – CIS, Estonia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Transport

The cigarettes not only lacked the required tax stamps, they were also not declared on the container's shipping documents. Customs officials said they have not yet determined whether the cigarettes are genuine or counterfeit, informs LETA.

Kadri Tamm, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor’s Office, told uudised.err.ee that according to its paperwork the container held rolls of plastic sheeting. Inspection revealed, however, only two stacks of the declared goods.

On Estonia's market, the value of cigarettes would reach 1.32 million euros, while in the United Kingdom it would have reached 3.47 million euros, the Tax and Customs Board said in a statement.

Jaan Riima, head of the board's Investigation Department, said that the cigarettes were discovered thanks to cooperation with the German customs office and the Phillip Morris tobacco company.