SMUGGLING CIGARETTES TROUGH THE BORDER SECTION PROTECTED BY NADBUZANSKI BORDER GUARD REGIONAL UNIT AS A THREAT AND BORDER SECURITY PROTECTION CHALLENGE

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present one of the vital problems the Border Guard fights against – smuggling cigarettes through the borders, which has a worldwide range, but this article is focused on cigarette smuggling routes from Eastern Europe through (and to) Poland, taking into consideration Polish border section protected by Nadbuzanski Border Guard Regional Unit (NBGRU). The article also presents the peculiarities occurring in smuggling goods tendencies used by criminals and presents the methods of fighting against this problem, as efficient protection of EU external borders is an important part of the European border protection system. The tendencies indicated in this article, engage mostly organized criminal groups in smuggling excise goods, and their determination and brutality, clearly show that decisive steps are needed to fight against smugglers. In the future, we should expect that Poland will be not only the transit territory for smuggling cigarettes but also the recipient as OLAF experts claim. The article is an attempt to indicate the problem of smuggling cigarettes through the borders which has a worldwide range, on the example of one section of the Polish border protected by NBGRU, which of course, does not present all sides of the problem. It is obvious to everyone that stopping this business is impossible, but what is real and all countries trying to tackle this problem should consider, is controlling this activity and limiting the scale of smuggling cigarettes by effective cooperation of all law enforcement institutions on both – national and international levels.