5,500 euros worth of smuggled tobacco confiscated
Gendarmes carried out an operation on the A4 highway and arrested a 38-year-old woman from Normandy. In the trunk of her car, they found 25 cartons of cigarettes and 30 kilos of tobacco for self-rolling.
On March 29, France simplified the rules for bringing tobacco from another EU country. The previous limit of 1 block has been abolished, but the general EU rules still state that the amount of tobacco products for personal use cannot exceed 800 cigarettes (4 blocks) or 1 kg of self-rolled tobacco.
A simple mathematical calculation allowed the gendarmes to conclude that 25 blocks and 30 kg were too much for one person and that the tobacco was most likely intended for resale. Given how much cheaper Luxembourg prices are than French prices, an investment of 5,500 euros could have yielded an impressive profit.
The smuggler was arrested and the tobacco confiscated on the spot. The woman is now being prosecuted. It is also known that the detainee has already been convicted for similar crimes.