Counterband from Asia at Gdynia Port – cigarette smuggling has been thwarted

On July 16, Officers of the Pomeranian National Tax Administration (KAS) thwarted the attempt to smuggle nearly 18 million cigarettes that reached the Gdynia port in a container from Sri Lanka. The value of the goods retained was estimated at nearly PLN 19 million.

Cigarettes instead of cosmetics – contraband in Gdynia port

According to the spokesman for KAS Justyna Pasieczyńska, the audit took place on 16 July. According to the transport documentation, there were supposed to be shaving cosmetics for further transport to Ukraine.

However, the consignment was first screened with an X-ray scanner and then directed for a detailed inspection. In the cargo instead of the goods declared, a huge batch of cigarettes was revealed without Polish tax marks. Illegal goods have been securedand further activities are carried out by the District Prosecutor's Office in Gdynia.

Potential cargo route from Sri Lanka to Gdynia

The National Tax Administration has reported an interception in Gdynia port of almost 18 million cigarettes smuggled in a Sri Lankan container. The official message does not indicate the name of the entity that delivered the consignment, but an analysis of the public AIS data and the timing of the wraps allows to outline the likely scenario.

You know, that the audit took place on 16 JulyThe same day an MSC container ship entered Gdynia Kayley (capacity approximately 15.3 thousand TEU, length 366 m), operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. In the history of the ship's voyage was recorded, among others, Colombo in Sri Lanka (3–4 June), Felixstowe (30 June – 2 July) and Antwerp (8–10 July), which fully corresponds to a typical trade route from South Asia to the Baltic.

The distribution of port agents in Kolombo further indicates voyage "MSC Kayley / QB519W" at Colombo → Felixstowe/Antwerpia → Gdańsk/Gdynia/Klaipeda, which combines the origin of the cargo with the date of call to the port in Gdynia. However, an alternative scenario still exists – on the same day to the terminal The GCT also entered the Unifeeder service 527S/528E, which could transport the container on the last section of the route from the port of loading in Western Europe.

Until the case Officially confirm The Pomeranian Customs and Tax Office or terminal operator can only be based on ship traffic analysis. According to the AIS data, the most likely candidate is MSC Kayley.

Written by Mariusz Dasiewicz