Russian customs fight smuggling

Russia has intensified its customs controls on the Latvian border, resulting in long tailbacks of trucks. This is harming the economy, the daily Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze writes, but it could help in the battle against smuggling: "The situation is critical even though tailbacks on the border have been a fixed feature on the news for years: the transport sector is a key component of Latvia's economy and accounted for around ten percent of our gross domestic product in 2008. ... What could better illustrate Russia's negative attitude towards Latvia than the kilometres-long tailbacks on the border? But the Russian government is now getting tough in its battle against the shadow economy and that economy is rooted not only where the smuggled goods are sold, but also on the borders. Transporters would frequently cross the border and then their cargo would disappear in Russian territory. … The current approach is inappropriate because it penalises all Latvian haulage contractors. But when will Latvia's government and public prosecutors finally tackle international smuggling?" 

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