Several people were arrested in Toulouse on the night of Sunday 19th to Monday 20th August 2018, with more than 700 cartons of tobacco, from Andorra. The details.
On the night of Sunday 19th to Monday 20th August 2018, around 4:30 am, the police of the anti-crime squad arrested nine people in the area of the boulevard de Suisse in Toulouse, unloading large suitcases on board three cars. Informed by an anonymous call, the police strongly suspected these nine people, eight men and one woman – all of Albanian nationality – of cigarette smuggling. The rest did not give them wrong.
724 tobacco packets
According to the information collected, no less than 380 cartons of cigarettes and 344 cartons of rolling tobacco were found on site by the investigators. All these packets came from Andorra and were intended to supply the Arnaud-Bernard district, in the center of Toulouse.
They crossed the border on foot
During the police custody, the police officers were able to learn more about the smugglers’ mode of operation. To avoid the customs officers, the traffickers passed by the mountain and walked for three to four hours, as far as the French frontier. They then loaded the goods into cars, in the direction of Toulouse, where they unloaded their booty. A convoy which allowed them to earn between 3,500 and 4,000 euros.
Extended custody
Individuals between the ages of 20 and 49 have had prolonged police custody. At the end of this one, one person was released and another was placed in the administrative detention center of Cornebarrieu (Haute-Garonne). Seven other people will be summoned later in the district court of Toulouse.
