Over five tonnes of undocumented tobacco, 23 migrants caught in border-checked lorry

More than five tonnes of undocumented tobacco were discovered at the Nadlac II Border Crossing Point by customs authorities as they were checking a lorry that was about to exit Romania, and also 23 migrants from four countries hidden in the vehicle, Agerpres reports.

According to a press statement by the Arad Border Police released on Thursday, the lorry was driven by a Turkish citizen, who was shipping, according to the cargo document, sundries for a Belgian company.

Also discovered among the transported goods were several cardboard boxes containing the amount of 5,751.5 kg of hookah tobacco, for which the driver could not present a manifest.

Police said the migrants were from Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Pakistan, between the ages of 18 and 42, and "intended to fraudulently enter a Schengen area."

The entire amount of tobacco, estimated at 5.7 million lei, was impounded in order to continue the investigation.

Border guards are investigating the case as attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border in the case of the persons hidden in the trailer, and the driver is being investigated for migrant trafficking and contraband.