Romania’s National Anticorruption Department has detained a total 97 border police and customs workers at border crossing points in western Romania suspected of corruption and smuggling. The Bucharest Court of Appeals has so far ruled in favor of the preventive arrest of 86 suspects and has yet to rule on arrest warrants for the rest.

Authorities on Tuesday launched raids at border crossings and other sites in western Romania and brought in for questioning about 100 border police, customs officials and suspected cigarette smugglers.

Those detained are suspected of smuggling large quantities of cigarettes into Romania from neighboring Serbia, and face charges of bribery and facilitating smuggling, prosecutors said. Police helicopters flew dozens of the suspects to Bucharest for hearings at the National Anticorruption Department.

Last week, 59 border police and customs employees at the Siret crossing in northeastern Romania, on the border with Ukraine, were arrested on the same charges.

Mediafax