The customs officials of the State Revenue Service (SRS) at the Customs Control Post of Ventspils harbour during the customs inspection of a truck registered in Lithuania and carrying a load of furniture discovered a significant amount of narcotic substances – about 31,4 kilograms of methamphetamine. Within the framework of criminal proceedings started under Section 1, Art 190 ¹ the driver of the truck was detained as a suspect.

While performing operative actions and investigations Customs Criminal Board of State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) has stopped the second drug trafficking criminal group so far this month. The group planned and carried out the delivery of narcotic substances to the Republic of Latvia using post office services. During criminal procedure officers performed seven searches and arrested six persons. One of them has been sentenced to imprisonment and another three members subjected to other security measures.

After two years of operative actions and investigations Customs Criminal Board of State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) has finally stopped international criminal group engaged in drug trafficking. The group planned and organized trafficking by sending citizens of the Republic of Latvia to trips. During such trips persons involved obtained drugs from South American and West African countries and later on delivered them to European countries including Latvia. Within the criminal proceeding SRS carried out nine searches, one person was imprisoned and another eight participants of the group were subjected to other security measures.

While performing customs control activities on the eastern border State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) prevented an attempt to smuggle 1,748,000 different brand cigarettes labeled with the excise stamps of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The goods were hidden in railway freight car, in a floor hatches’ covers of locomotive and also in the spare tires of truck’s semi-trailer.

On 5th February of the present year while performing customs control activities State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) Customs officers discovered in freight container from Belgium 9.38 million smuggled Prince cigarettes without excise marks.

State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) in cooperation with Estonian rights protection institutions and State Police carried out the verification of possible smuggled narcotic substances in one of the vehicles registered in the Republic of Estonia and seized this year's largest narcotics cargo on Latvia border; officers detained approximately 110 kg of hashish and 0.5 g of cocaine.

On 23rd January 2013 State Revenue Service (hereinafter — SRS) Customs officers using an information from risk analysis carried out customs control activities near Pāternieki customs control point and inspected two trucks. Officers discovered in both trucks a total of 900,000 cigarettes with a excise stamps of the Republic of Belarus; later on the same day SRS Customs Criminal Board started two criminal procedures under Criminal Code Section 190 (2) [1].