French Customs Seize €46K Smuggled Cigarettes from Andorra in Dramatic Chase
Officers intercepted a fleeing vehicle after a motorist's tip-off, uncovering 363 cartons hidden inside during a routine checkpoint in Occitanie.
Key Points
- 363 cartons of cigarettes seized, valued at €46,000, smuggled from Andorra.
- Motorist alerted officers to suspicious grey car making U-turn at checkpoint on 30 Jan.
- Suspects fled on foot from ditched vehicle in Eaunes; no arrests made.
- Vehicle and merchandise confiscated, later incinerated per procedure.
French customs officers seized 363 cartons of smuggled cigarettes from Andorra, valued at nearly €46,000, during a roadside operation in Occitanie on 30 January.
The interception occurred hours before a rockslide closed the RN20 access road to Pas de la Casa. Agents at a routine checkpoint in Labarthe-sur-Lèze, Ariège, received an alert from a motorist who reported a vehicle making a sudden U-turn upon spotting the control point before speeding off in the wrong direction, posing a risk to other road users. Officers immediately launched a patrol along the indicated route.
They located the grey car partially stuck in a ditch in Eaunes, Haute-Garonne, where roadworks had closed one lane. Two occupants fled on foot toward a nearby shopping centre and evaded capture. A search of the abandoned vehicle revealed four large packages and two smaller bags stuffed with cigarette cartons in the boot and rear seats, confirming the total of 363 cartons presumed purchased in Andorra.
The Regional Customs Directorate confiscated both the vehicle and the merchandise, which were later destroyed by incineration in line with standard procedures. No arrests followed.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: