Swiss customs officials said on Thursday several people have been arrested and 50,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes seized in a joint sting with French customs officials that dismantled a smuggling ring.
“People working in the diplomatic sphere but not enjoying diplomatic status in Switzerland falsely obtained” documentation to assist in the cigarette smuggling ring, the Federal Customs Administration said in a statement.
Several people have been charged and will be prosecuted by both Swiss and French authorities, where relevant.
The smugglers evaded duties amounting to more than two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million, 16 million euros), the statement added.
