Romania: shots fired to stop suspected cigarette smugglers

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romanian border police say they fired shots into the air to stop two suspected smugglers with an unusually large amount of cigarettes from Ukraine.

Border police from the town of Dorohoi in northeast Romania said the two men didn’t respond to verbal warnings, so officers fired six warning shots. The suspects dropped their three bulky parcels and ran, but not fast enough to avoid arrest early Wednesday.

Police said the contraband cigarettes are worth 42,000 lei ($10,500). The two men, aged 22 and 39, are being investigated on charges of smuggling and illegal border crossing.

Cigarette smuggling is an almost daily occurrence from Ukraine and Moldova into European Union member Romania.