A truck filled with garbage in appearance, but sipped thousands of packs of cigarettes under the tarpaulin. In Ekpè, the Office of Surveillance of the Customs Territory (BSTD) signed a spectacular catch, proving that intelligence finesse remains the best weapon against fraud

Under the command of the Chief Customs Inspector Marcellin LAOUROU, TCSD officers intercepted a dump truck in Ekpè on 17 August 2026, apparently carrying household waste, stacked garbage bags.

Under the waste, the illegal snag

By digging under the mountain of rubbish, the scheme collapses. The « Mobile bin » In reality, there was a real shipment of contraband. Dissimulated under garbage bags, customs officers discovered undeclared school supplies, but above all 21,000 packs of cigarettes from the brands YES, TIME, ORIS and ROYAL.

Commitments supported by operational action

This operation took place a few weeks after the signing of a protocol of strategic agreement between the Benin Customs and the Niger Brique company, aimed at tightening the market around the black tobacco market.
Under the leadership of the Director-General of Customs, Colonel Raouf Malèhossou ABOUDOU, the BSTD is thus making a concrete contribution to protecting the revenues of the State and regulatoryly compliant operators. This seizure of Ekpè's fist demonstrates the continuity of this mission: exploiting intelligence, targeting controls and countering attempts to circumvent the law.
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