26 November 2001
Cargo valued at millions of dollars confiscated in Brest
A judge at Brest's district court has ruled that the cargo of 15 heavy-duty trucks that was intercepted in Belarus earlier this month should be
confiscated.
Twenty-one trucks bound for Russia were stopped by Belarusian authorities in the Kobrin district, Brest region, after the convoy crossed Belarus' Polish border at the Kozlovichi checkpoint and passed through the Brestgruzavtoservis customs terminal. The trucks, which carried televisions, laser printers, clothes and other goods, was returned in Brest. The cargo was valued at almost $4 million. The accompanying documents said that ceramic tile, which is subject to low customs duty, was being shipped.
As a result of three sessions held this past week, the court of the Moskovsky district in Brest examined evidence concerning 15 of the 21 trucks, and established that the cargo had been smuggled. Since the consignees were not identified and nobody could be penalized, the judge decided that the shipment should be confiscated.
The last court session, which is to be held this week, appears to result in a similar decision with respect to the remaining six trucks.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news110.html