Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Customs authorities in Uzbekistan have intercepted a large-scale tobacco smuggling operation involving cigarettes worth over 7.5 billion soums.

The illicit cargo, consisting of more than 155,000 packs of cigarettes, was hidden in specially created compartments between stone slabs transported by railway wagons.

The operation was conducted by the Customs Committee’s rapid response units in cooperation with the State Security Service and Bukhara Regional Customs Administration. Upon inspecting a railcar registered under an entrepreneur’s name and under operational surveillance, authorities found concealed cavities within the stone slabs at a customs warehouse in Tashkent. Inside, 51 foil-wrapped boxes were discovered, containing 76,500 packs of contraband cigarettes.

Further inspections in Bukhara region led to another seizure at the Khojadavlat railway customs post. A second wagon, registered to the same entrepreneur, was found to contain 91 hidden boxes with 79,090 packs of cigarettes.

The seized cigarettes lacked Uzbekistan’s excise stamps and necessary import documentation confirming their legality. Authorities estimate that the smugglers attempted to evade 2.2 billion soums in customs duties.

A criminal case has been initiated, and investigations are ongoing.

Since the beginning of the year, Uzbek customs officers have identified 132 cases of illegal tobacco smuggling, seizing over 300,000 packs of cigarettes worth more than 13 billion soums.