Burkina Faso authorities incinerated 430 cartons of smuggled “Sir” brand cigarettes, valued at 139 million FCFA ($231,600), on Saturday, August 10.
The cigarettes, containing 215,000 packets, were destroyed in Léo in the presence of provincial and municipal officials, military and paramilitary forces, and local media.
Public Prosecutor Ahmed Ouattara of the High Court of Léo said the seizure of the smuggled cigarettes was made possible by the vigilance of the Léo Territorial Gendarmerie Brigade and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP). The cigarettes had been seized on April 13 during an operation on the Léo-Bieha road where “all the sixteen products were confiscated for destruction by order of the judicial authorities of Léo,” Ouattara said.
Ouattara added that the Léo Territorial Gendarmerie Brigade launched an investigation afterwards, which led to the suspects being brought before the public prosecutor under laws addressing such offences.
“They were prosecuted for various offences, in this case for cigarette smuggling by decision of the public prosecutor dated June 16, 2024,” he added.
The prosecutor explained that smuggling weighs down the Burkinabe national economy and distorts competition. He urged the public to report any suspicious activity and alerted consumers of smuggled products to get rid of such products.
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