The Romanian authorities seized over 110 million contraband cigarettes in the first nine months of this year, 60% more compared to the same period of 2018, according to data centralized by stopcontrabanda.ro. The total value of these cigarettes on the black market is over RON 56 million (EUR 12 mln), News.ro reported.

Romania has the highest level of cigarette contraband in Eastern Europe. The country has 2,000 kilometers of borders with non-EU countries where cigarettes are up to six times cheaper.

The illegal cigarette trade damages Romania’s budget by about EUR 650 million per year, according to local cigarette producers. However, the black market for cigarettes declined in July to 13.7% of the local cigarette consumption, according to Novel Research.

editor@romania-insider.com

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