Author: Lidiane Abreu

Source: Tribuna de Minas - Juíz de Fora / MG - 27/08/2010

Lidiane Abreu
news reporter

An operation to combat cigarette smuggling was launched yesterday by the Federal Police (PF). Two people were arrested and 12 business and residential addresses were inspected. The police seized enough boxes of cigarettes to fill the body of a truck. A Kadett was also picked up at the PF yard, after the driver was spotted carrying tobacco products and lighters, in Bairro Santa Luzia, in the South region. In Bairro Cerâmica, in the North Zone, agents seized more boxes of cigarettes, and a man was arrested suspected of owning the products.

According to delegate Cláudio Nogueira, there is a suspicion that the cargo originates in Cidade do Leste, in Paraguay, and arrives in the city through the so-called “muambeiros” - people who go to the neighboring country in order to bring products for resale , but does not rule out that larger quantities are transported hidden in cargo vehicles. However, the possibility that part of the commercialized cigarettes is the product of theft or theft of cargo is also investigated. Yesterday, representatives of a tobacco company and the State Revenue were at the neighborhood of Bairro Cerâmica to see if cigarette packages found there are part of a recently stolen lot. The diligence lasted until last night, and there was no confirmation as to whether the product was part of the cargo.

Most of the seized boxes featured packaging from the San Marino brand, distributed by Tabacalera del Este, located in Paraguay. The PF is still trying to clarify whether the seized cigarettes can be manufactured in Brazil and exported to the neighboring country. In this case, the product leaves Brazil with a specific tax burden for export and reduced in relation to that practiced in the domestic market. Thus, it returns to the country of origin about 50% cheaper than the one sold here. “The tax burden on cigarettes reaches 80% in Brazil. When imported cigarettes enter Brazil without paying the tax due, ”explains Nogueira.

Last night, the two people arrested during the operation and a third detainee to provide clarifications, whose identities had not been revealed, were still testifying at the PF headquarters. According to the delegate, they would be fined for the crime of smuggling or embezzlement, which can be punished with one to four years of imprisonment.