Peruvian authorities seized more than 14 tons of Chinese-made contraband cigarettes Monday in Callao, Peru’s largest port, at the capital, Lima.
Customs agents reported that the cargo of contraband cigarettes was shipped from China aboard the “Maruba Victory”, and was unloaded at Callao in a large container labelled as holding glass cups and a variety of ceramics.
But it was labeling the shipment as low-priced ceramics and glass cups that raised port authorities’ suspicions. In Peru, ceramics and glass cups are produced cheaply, and rarely imported.
The inspection led customs agents to find 1,200 boxes of contraband cigarettes, valued at approximately $1 million.
