Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Transport

The majority – about 70% – of contraband cigarettes are smuggled into Latvia from Belarus, while another 30% – from Russia. The remaining 3% is smuggled from other countries, including the European Union.

Kalnins admitted that the range of goods smuggled into Latvia has not changed during the past years. The majority of contraband goods are cigarettes from Belarus, as they are cheaper than the Russian ones.

Alcohol contraband makes up about 2% of the total number of violations. A large proportion of smuggled liquor is of unknown origin, as in half of the cases it is home-made.

According to Kalnins, the total amount of contraband goods keeps reducing. At the same time he admitted that smugglers are still half a step ahead of the law enforcement institutions because of their creativity and use of latest technological inventions.