Press Release: Operation ‘Warehouse’: Major joint customs operation prevents large losses to the EU’s and Member States’ budgets

Almost 45 million smuggled cigarettes, nearly 140.000 litres of diesel fuel and about 14.000 litres of vodka were seized during a major Joint Customs Operation (JCO).

The Joint Customs Operation code-named 'Warehouse' was carried-out in October 2013 by the Lithuanian Customs Service and the Lithuanian Tax Inspectorate in close cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), and with the participation of all 28 EU member states.

As a result of Operation "Warehouse", a significant potential loss to the budgets of the European Union and its Member States was prevented. According to preliminary estimates, this would have amounted to about € 9 million in the form of evaded customs duties and taxes. The final results of the Operation were discussed by the participants last week at a debriefing meeting in Vilnius and were made public on 21 January 2014 across Europe.

European Commission: RAPID: Memo, MEMo/14/33: Operation "Warehouse": How Joint Customs Operations help to protect the EU's financial interests http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-33_en.pdf

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