The disciplinary commission of the Customs Service ordered the dismissal of two customs officials from Leușeni Customs Office, in the Western part of Moldova. Internal investigations revealed that they have committed a series of breaches of law and ethics.

The two former employees came under the scrutiny of the authorized subdivision of the Customs Service after the Romanian border police announced the detection of some smuggled goods of Moldovan origin.

According to the border authority of the neighboring state, 52,469 packs of cigarettes, 1,230 kg of aromatic essences for hookah, and 74 liters of alcoholic beverages with Moldova’s excise stamp were detected on May 29 and 30, 2020. The goods were discovered in two buses, among the packages transported.

According to the materials of the investigation carried out by the Customs Service, the two vehicles, in which smuggled goods were found, left the country through the Leușeni-Albița Customs Office, in the Western part of Moldova. 

The images captured by the surveillance cameras showed that the dismissed officials carried out a superficial control of the means of transport. Thus, they admitted the removal from the country of smuggled goods in a total value of over 100,000 euros (2 million lei).