Customs seize 517,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes

The customs agents of Tangiers seized on Tuesday in the locality of Zrib Mezgueldi (14 km from Tangiers) 517,000 packs of smuggled cigarettes, two trucks and an inflatable small boat.

The total value of the seized goods is estimated at 15 million DH (US$ 1.3 million).

The customs agents also seized knives and arrested four persons while others escaped. Preliminary investigation showed that the cigarettes, made in a neighboring country, were smuggled into Morocco onboard inflatable boats, and were recovered by a group of some fifty persons.

Last August, the customs had seized in the same region two trucks loaded with 310,000 packs of cigarettes, worth 9.9 million DH (US$ 0.9 million).