Russian Customs Suspects Who Seized 4,500 Illegal E-cigarettes Could Face Up To Two Years in Prison

Russian customs suspects who seized 4,500 illegal e-cigarettes could face up to two years in prison

A Russian man who illegally ordered 4,500 electronic cigarettes worth about $30,000 could face up to two years in prison.

According to the Moscow Government Information Center reported on November 15, in a recent raid, Moscow customs officials seized a batch of illegal electronic cigarettes worth 3.1 million rubles (about $30,000) in a warehouse.

According to the press office of the Central Operations Customs, 4,500 illegal e-cigarettes were seized.

A customs investigation showed that a 26-year-old Russian citizen ordered this batch of e-cigarettes from China via the Internet, and did not fill in the customs declaration, in order to sell in the country and illegally profit. The total amount of unpaid duties is estimated at more than 3.6 million rubles ($35,000).

The shipment has now been impounded. The Customs Department has filed criminal charges against the suspect under Article 194 (1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (" evasion of payment of customs duties ").

The case has been transferred to court and the man could face up to two years in prison.