Police find 54,000 cigarettes in fake customs officer’s car

Austrian police have discovered more than 50,000 cigarettes in a fake Ukrainian custom officer’s car.Officials in the province of Carinthia said today (Mon) officers stopped the car registered in Slovakia during a random traffic check on Friday. They decided to take a closer look after the man claimed he was working for the Ukrainian customs authority.Sniffer dogs found 272 packets containing 54,000 cigarettes which were probably meant for illegal resale in neighbouring Italy. The driver of the van was put in custody where he faces further questioning.The haul comes just weeks after Carinthian custom officials discovered around 900 packets of smuggled cigarettes in a glass wool-transporting vehicle. The vehicle’s driver and one passenger – both from the Ukraine – were arrested.People’s Party (ÖVP) Financial Affairs State Secretary Reinhold Lopatka said recently 46.4 million illegal cigarettes were confiscated in Austria 2009, up by one million year on year.