French Customs Seize 118kg Smuggled Tobacco in Cerdanya Convoy Bust
Officers from Bourg-Madame and Porta intercepted three vehicles from Pas de la Casa, marking a shift from snow-hiding tactics amid RN20 road reopening.
Key Points
- 118.6kg tobacco seized from three-vehicle convoy overnight March 8-9.
- Brigades set controls on RN20 route after its reopening from January closure.
- Shift from hiding tobacco under snow to coordinated vehicle transports.
- Total recent seizures: 106kg tobacco/cigarettes + 468L alcohol.
French customs officers in Cerdanya seized 118.6 kilograms of smuggled tobacco after intercepting a convoy of three vehicles from Pas de la Casa overnight between 8 and 9 March.
The operation, carried out by brigades from Bourg-Madame and Porta, involved setting up controls at strategic points along the route. Officers stopped the coordinated transport, marking a shift from traditional smuggling tactics such as hiding goods under snow, according to a 12 March statement from French customs reported by French outlet L'Independant.
The interception coincided with the reopening of the RN20 road, which had been closed since late January in Ariège and serves as a key route toward Toulouse. The closure had previously curbed smuggling activity, but traffickers appeared to have anticipated the return of normal traffic.
This action forms part of a recent series of customs interventions in the area. Before and after the RN20 reopened, authorities also confiscated an additional 106 kilograms of tobacco and cigarettes, along with 468 litres of smuggled alcohol.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: