Andorran-French Police Seize €13,000 Contraband Cigarettes Near Border
Joint patrol uncovers 100 cartons of smuggled cigarettes buried in snow during operation in French market near Andorra.
Key Points
- 100 cartons worth €13,000 seized in Porta municipality.
- Eight Andorran agents and three French gendarmes conducted checks and patrols.
- Cigarettes found buried in snow; later destroyed.
- Ongoing cooperation combats persistent tobacco smuggling in border zone.
A joint patrol of Andorran and French police officers seized 100 cartons of contraband cigarettes worth around €13,000 on the French market during an operation near the Andorra border.
The action involved eight Andorran police agents and three gendarmes from the Bourg-Madame brigade, operating under bilateral agreements to combat smuggling. Over several hours, the teams conducted road checks and foot patrols in the frontier area, spotting suspicious movements by smugglers.
This led them to a hiding spot buried in snow in the municipality of Porta, where they recovered the cigarettes. The seized goods were later destroyed by authorities.
Commandant Paul Richaud of the Prades gendarmerie company described tobacco smuggling as a persistent issue in the mountainous border zone. Smugglers frequently exploit the proximity between the two countries to evade police measures.
The operation underscores ongoing intergovernmental cooperation between France and Andorra to intensify border surveillance and tackle illegal activities. Security forces have pledged to maintain and strengthen these joint efforts.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: