The Financial Guard is the most feared state institution in the fight against cigarettes traffickers – those small-time smugglers who illegally bring cigarettes across the border. Its inspectors carry guns, but more important, they are empowered to impose the highest fines against smugglers – up to €30,000.
The guard can launch surprise investigations to prevent and combat crime in the financial and customs fields which involve tax avoidance. It is part of the county’s Revenue Services and the National Fiscal Administration Agency, a division of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
In the 10 months between January and October 2007, the guard documented the following actions on the most active borders for tobacco trafficking. The guard in Timis and Mehedinti counties showed much better results than colleagues in Caras –
The Timis County Financial Guard investigated 125 companies and 34 individuals and seized 73,000 packs of cigarettes (
In
The Mehedinti County Financial Guard investigated three small entrepreneurs and 22 other individuals and seven companies, including some registered in other counties including
The number of seized packs of cigarettes grew by 473 percent, and fines grew by 1,064 percent in 2007 when compared to 2006 numbers.
Caras –
The Caras –
The Caras – Severin guard refused to provide statistics comparing its performance in 2006 to 2007.
