Video: Smuggler apprehended at the Romanian-Ukrainian border after shot guns be...

Smuggler apprehended at the Romanian-Ukrainian border after shot guns being used

Border Police officers within Suceava Border Police County Inspectorate apprehended a Romanian citizen who transported over the border more than 15.000 packages of smuggled cigarettes.
In order to apprehend the smuggler, Border Police officers had to use the weapons and ammunition as a warning, in vertical plan applying the law provisions.
The cigarettes, valuing about 70.000 LEI, were assessed and the aforementioned smuggler is being accused of smuggling.

Thus, on the morning of 23.08.2011, while carrying out specific tasks, Border Police officers within Vicov Border Police Sector, detected near the border a group of several people walking from Ukraine towards Romania, carrying several big boxes.

The aforementioned people were verbally asked to stop by the Border Police officers, but they have ignored the warning and tried to run away, taking advantage of the dark and of the off road terrain. Border Police officers had to use their weapons and ammunition, shooting five times vertically; they apprehended one person, C. Valentin, 19 years old, inhabitant of Vicovu de Sus.

In the area where the young man was apprehended were detected 9 big boxes containing over 15.000 packages of VICEROY brand cigarettes, made in Ukraine.

Prior acts of criminal investigation of the offense of smuggling were drawn by Border Police officers, acts which were sent to Radauti Court Prosecutor’s Office.

At this moment, Border Police officers are continuing the investigations in order to detect all the people involved for taking the imposed legal measures.

Also, the Ukrainian Border Guard authorities were informed in order to investigate the case together with the Romanian Border Police.

Statistics regarding Romanian Border Police activity in the last 24 hours

In the last 24 hours, in the competence areas - meaning border crossing points and "green border" - Border Police officers detected:

• 77 illegal deeds (39 crimes and 38 penalties) committed by Romanian and foreign citizens;
• the amount of penalties reaches approximately 7,000 lei;
• undeclared goods (which were to be smuggled into the country), which exceeded the customs’ legal provisions or were suspected as being counterfeit with a total value of 337,500 lei, were detected;
• the flow of passengers and means of transportation at the border crossing points was about 133,300 people, both at the entry and at the exit and over 35,300 means of transportation.
  19 foreign citizens were refused entry due to the fact that they did not meet the entry requirements and 46 Romanian citizens were not allowed to exit Romania out of various legal grounds.