Source: Diário Digital - Portugal - 23/08/2010

About 800 cigarettes of various brands were seized on Sunday, in the port of Portimão, by the Customs of Faro, a material whose approximate value is 140 euros, the Ministry of Finance announced today.

The material was concealed inside a van loaded with bicycles, furniture and appliances, from the ferry “Volcan de Tijarafe”, which operates the regular line between Portimão, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Also during the operation, the authorities detained the owner and driver of the Spanish registration van, a Moroccan citizen.

The sale of tobacco would harm the Portuguese State by more than 110 thousand euros (VAT and Tobacco Tax).

This year, the Directorate-General for Customs and Special Taxes on Consumption has already seized around 2,5 million cigarettes on the commercial dock in Portimão.

The high amount of material seized may indicate the existence of a flow of contraband tobacco from the Canary Islands (Spain).

Digital Diary / Lusa