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SKEMA/ The structured criminal group caused hundreds of millions of lek in damage to the state budget

2025-05-28 19:22:00, Aktualitet CNA

SKEMA/ The structured criminal group caused hundreds of millions of lek in

SPAK has uncovered the scheme of how the criminal group operated with cigarette smuggling from Albania to EU countries.

According to the Prosecution, this group has caused damage to the state budget of 366,034,451,000 lek and to EU countries in one case in the amount of 2,802,159.90 euros if the smuggling had been successful, and in four other cases they have achieved their goal by losing the EU the taxed value of approximately 10,000,000 euros.

"The Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime has registered criminal proceedings no. 20, year 2023 for a sophisticated cigarette smuggling scheme, involving Albanian and foreign citizens, as well as employees of customs structures.

The suspects acted within a structured criminal group with the aim of smuggling cigarettes produced within the territory of Albania to neighboring countries and then to those of the EU.

Specifically, the commercial entity (Cigarette Factory "AT") involved has applied for and been granted the "Inward Processing Regime" (IPR) authorization by the customs authority, with the aim of exemption from taxes and customs duties both on the import of raw materials and on export.

The entity operates under the "fason" regime, producing cigarette packs, for which it has a registered trademark and exclusivity, on behalf of the ordering company headquartered outside the territory of Albania.

The investigations have revealed that the agreement between the investigated entity and the ordering company was made with the sole purpose of avoiding customs duties and that the Albanian entity itself determines the destination, which turns out to be non-existent.

The structured criminal group, in more than 30 (thirty) cases, has changed the destination and then unloaded the cargo destined for the ordering company in Albanian territory, with the aim of smuggling it to neighboring countries, without paying customs duties. These are considerable, given the fact that they are excise goods and the legal obligations for export have not been fulfilled, as is unrealistically reflected in the customs documentation.

From the entirety of the investigative actions carried out so far, there is a reasonable suspicion that this structured criminal group, with an activity spanning a long period of time, for the purpose of economic gain, has caused considerable damage to the state budget in the amount of 366,034,451,000 lek and to EU countries in one case in the amount of 2,802,159.90 euros if the smuggling were successful, and in four other cases they have achieved their goal by losing the EU the taxed value of approximately 10,000,000 euros.

This activity was carried out through the legitimization of smuggling by certain customs structures in violation of the law by not accompanying the loads with anti-smuggling structures until exiting the territory of Albania, as well as the fictitious export clearance in the "Asycuda World" system as if this quantity of cigarettes had left our country at the exit customs specified in the customs declaration. Also, the production of cigarette packages without fiscal stamps did not enable the collection of customs duties from the country where they were destined to be sold, an activity in violation of the Excise Law", SPAK announces./ CNA





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