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The Government of El Salvador continues to deal heavy blows to criminal organizations that affect public finances through smuggling.
Today, the minister of Finance, Jerson Posada, and the minister of Security, Gustavo Villatoro, along with the director general of Customs, Benjamin Mayorga, and the deputy prosecutor for the Defense of State Interests, Jonathan Mata, reported on the destruction of 7,618,040 cigarettes, equivalent to 10.28 tons valued at $2.1 million, which includes unpaid taxes, storage, and fines.
“We are not only destroying more than 7.6 million illegal cigarettes. We are sending a clear and firm message in the new El Salvador: crime has no place and the law must be respected”, said minister Posada. The destruction will be carried out at the Geocycle plant, located in the district of Metapan, Santa Ana, using an environmentally safe process.
This result is the result of the Plan Anticontrabando, led by the Ministry of Finance through the General Directorate of Customs, which has led to significant seizures through operations at various unauthorized border crossings and fiscal routes.
“The illicit cigarette trade has serious consequences. It exposes consumers to uncontrolled products, harms society, harms manufacturers, and harms legitimate businesses, destabilizes markets, and allows unfair competition against the legally established industry”, said the minister of Finance.
The General Directorate of Customs continues to implement strategic actions to prevent, detect, and combat merchandise smuggling and other customs offenses, in coordination with the PNC, the Armed Forces, FGR, among other institutions.
