Source: O Liberal - Belém / PA - 14/12/2010

The Civil Police seized 12.500 counterfeit cigarette cases yesterday morning in the Old Town neighborhood. An anonymous call sent police officers from the Interstate Police (Polinter), the Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIOE) to a house where the contraband was found. The owner of the cargo was not found and the three people who live in the property where the cigarette was were heard and then released.

Upon receiving the complaint, Polinter's chief delegate, Albertino Santos Filho, sent a team of three investigators to the address indicated on Avenida Bernardo Sayão. There, the owner of the house did not object to the work of the police and explained that the cigarette boxes were from an acquaintance of him, also a resident of the Bernardo Sayão section that cuts through the neighborhood of Cidade Velha.

The resident says that at around 2:30 am yesterday, an acquaintance named João asked him to keep 25 boxes in his house, because at that time he would no longer be able to get a large vehicle that would transport everything at once. João said he would return in the morning to pick up the cargo and the resident accepted.

Before João returned, investigators Marçal, Aldemar and Saul went to the place and saw that it was a counterfeit cigarette. "The resident didn't even bother to know what was in the boxes, but he assumed it was a cigarette because of the smell," says the chief. “He said that João is a short, white guy, about 50 years old. We haven't found him yet, ”he says.

The cargo and the three residents of the house were taken to Dioe. The material was seized so that the Renato Chaves Scientific Expertise Center can test whether the cigarette is counterfeit, comparing it with original packs. The three were only heard, without being fined because there was no flagrante delicto.

During the 30 days of the investigation, recorded based on the law of tax, economic and consumer relations crimes (Law 8.137 / 90), the owner of the cargo may recover the material if he presents an invoice. However, due to the evidence of forgery, says the delegate, it is more likely that the Justice will order the cigarette to be incinerated after the examination.