Slovak customs seize 18 tons of tobacco on D1 highway, tax loss over €3 million

Customs officers from the Financial Administration’s Poprad station, together with police, stopped a truck near Štrba in the Poprad district on the D1 highway. The vehicle was carrying 18 tons of raw tobacco – enough to produce roughly 25 million cigarettes. Officials said the estimated loss of consumption tax exceeds €3.2 million.

The haul was discovered during a routine check when 114 cartons of brown, tobacco‑smelling material were found in the cargo area. Discrepancies between the shipment documents and the actual cargo prompted the involvement of the Financial Administration’s Criminal Office, which detained the driver and took the cargo to the Prešov customs warehouse for further investigation. Authorities suspect tax and insurance fraud. The seizure is the largest single tobacco confiscation in Slovakia this year and follows a series of major operations against illegal tobacco trafficking earlier in 2026.