Spain seizes 350 contraband cigars from Andorra at La Farga de Moles border

Spanish Civil Guard officers and Tax Agency officials seized 350 contraband cigars, valued at around €4,000, at the La Farga de Moles border crossing on 7 October, the force said on 16 October.

The cigars had been brought from Andorra and were concealed in the spare-wheel compartment of a vehicle carrying two people. The vehicle arrived at the customs checkpoint from the Principality at around 11:30 and parked in the area set aside for inspections. When officers asked the occupants whether they were transporting goods requiring declaration, the driver said they were not.

An initial inspection of the car's interior found nothing suspicious, but a more thorough search uncovered the merchandise. The cigars were hidden in the space normally reserved for the spare wheel, accessible only from underneath the vehicle via a lever inside the boot. The occupants were not carrying a complete spare wheel, only the tyre, whose interior had been used to conceal the goods.

After the discovery, officers notified a customs technician from the Tax Agency, who counted and valued the items, confirming they were 350 cigars of various brands, brought from Andorra and worth an estimated €4,000. A report was filed for an administrative offence of contraband.