12 million cigarettes? Russian smuggler arrested

Police in the northern German city of Kiel said on Wednesday that they had detained a 43-year-old Russian man who is suspected of smuggling millions of black market cigarettes into the country.

"The officers caught a 'big fish' in their net," said the police in a statement. Kiel, which lies on the Baltic sea, is home to Germany's navy as well as a major shipbuilding center and a key European sea transport hub.

The truck driver is believed to be part of a gang that smuggled over 12 million cheap Russian cigarettes into Germany between 2009 and 2011. Police believe that he thus evaded paying taxes to the tune of €1.67 million ($1.9 million). 

A typical price for a pack of cigarettes in Russia is currently around 90 rubles (€1.20), while in Germany the major brands tend to cost €6.50 ($7.40) for a pack of 21.

Cigarette smuggling is a major criminal enterprise in the EU. In 2015, authorities busted up a smuggling ring that stretched from Italy to northern Germany. The criminal enterprise comprised some 50 shell companies and a tax loss of at least 60 million euros.

In that case, six men were charged, hailing from Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia.

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