Bosnia and Herzegovina police nab 202kg of illicit tobacco

Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have seized 202kg of cut tobacco, which they suspect was destined for illicit trade.

The tobacco was found in an Audi car driven by an unidentifed person, according to a report published in the Sarajevo Times. The vehicle was inspected on January 23 in Modriča, a town in the north of BiH.

The country is notorious for serving as a transshipment route for the illicit tobacco trade, which has expanded significantly in the last decade as the market for legal tobacco has shrunk, cutting not tax revenues.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously estimated that 35 per cent or more of all cigarettes smoked in BiH are illegal, but the country’s Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) said last year it could be higher than 50 per cent.

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