Successful German-Polish Customs Collaboration: HZA-DD Initiative
The Dresden Main Customs Office has announced the successful seizure of over 300,000 counterfeit cigarettes in a joint operation with their Polish counterparts.
On August 22, 2025, a joint patrol conducted checks in the Polish border town of Bogatynia. The operation was the result of over a decade of joint patrols by customs officers from Görlitz and their Polish colleagues along the Neisse River, alternating on both sides of the border.
During the operation, customs officers observed a person loading several boxes into their car from a garage. Upon inspection, all boxes were found to contain cigarette packs. It was revealed that these counterfeit cigarettes were being regularly supplied to Polish markets, particularly those near the border.
Heike Wilsdorf, the Press Spokesperson at the Hauptzollstelle Dresden (Main Customs Office Dresden), confirmed the seizure. She stated that the cigarettes, totalling 300,400 units of various brands, were found to be counterfeit, making up over 90% of the total.
The tax evasion from this seizure amounts to approximately 370,000 Zloty. Further investigations are being conducted by the Polish customs, with Heike Wilsdorf encouraging anyone with inquiries to contact the Dresden Main Customs Office at [email protected] or by phone at 0351/4644-1044.
The official website of the Dresden Main Customs Office is www.zoll.de, where more information about the office and its operations can be found.
