During the same period, numerous attempts to illegally export tobacco products from the country were thwarted, including an attempt to smuggle more than 5.5 million cigarettes, as well as a joint operation with Romanian authorities that resulted in the seizure of 550,000 cigarettes. At the same time, 47 attempts to smuggle tobacco products were thwarted at border customs checkpoints, and another 5 cases were detected by the Customs Service’s mobile units.
This trend is also confirmed by independent indicators regarding the illegal cigarette market in Romania. According to research conducted by Novel Research, the share of products identified—using the company’s own methodology—as manufactured in the Republic of Moldova on Romania’s illicit market fell from 23.8% in November 2025 to 18.3% in February 2026, and then to 15.1% in May 2026, representing a cumulative decrease of 8.7 percentage points over just two consecutive assessments.
However, the illicit trade in tobacco products is a complex phenomenon characteristic of transnational organized crime. Investigations show that criminal networks often span multiple countries, and the apparent origin of the products does not always match the actual origin established during investigations.
In this context, a case recently documented by Romanian authorities is illustrative: approximately 360,000 packs of cigarettes with labels in Romanian—containing elements characteristic of products sold on the Moldovan market, were discovered hidden in a truck officially transporting more than 15 metric tons of strawberries from Ukraine to Romania. This example underscores the fact that the mere presence of labels, trademarks, or other visible elements on the packaging is insufficient to establish the actual origin of the products, which is determined during investigations conducted by the competent authorities.
At the same time, regional authorities are constantly documenting clandestine cigarette factories, instances of counterfeit products, and fake excise stamps, which confirms the dynamic and sophisticated nature of this criminal phenomenon.
In this context, the Customs Service continues to strengthen cooperation with the competent authorities of Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, and international partners through the rapid exchange of information, joint investigations, and coordinated actions to identify and dismantle networks involved in the illicit trafficking of tobacco products, the agency told Logos Press.
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