Operation "Filter": 13 Detained, Including Customs and Police Officers, in 69-Million-Cigarette Smuggling Bust
Over €6 million in damage to the state. Director Nikolovski: the unlawful conduct involved officials who were meant to prevent it.
The Customs Administration carried out a broad operation named "Filter," searching 23 locations in the early morning hours of 24 September, uncovering an organised cigarette-smuggling system worth over 377 million denars — more than €6 million in evaded state duties. Thirteen people were detained.
Among those detained are four customs officers, two police officers, two drivers and five other individuals. Three more people, who were outside the country at the time of the operation, have been contacted and are expected to report upon their return. The operation covers cases carried out between January and June 2024, involving an estimated 69 million smuggled cigarettes.
The Customs Administration filed criminal complaints with the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption, covering smuggling, customs fraud, negligent performance of duty, abuse of official position and authority, computer fraud, and excise tax evasion. The operation was coordinated with the Department for Suppressing Organised and Serious Crime at the Public Security Bureau.
Customs Administration director Nikolovski stressed that the investigation showed the unlawful conduct was not limited to economic operators — it also involved officials who, under their legal powers and job duties, were supposed to prevent exactly this kind of conduct.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · September 25, 2026
