The illicit tobacco could have seen public coffers cheated of over 435 million złoty (€100 million) in revenue, according to the National Public Prosecutor’s Office.

It said that on Tuesday and Thursday, authorities detained 21 members of an organized crime group who allegedly helped move millions of packs of cigarettes lacking excise stamps across the Polish border from Belarus and Slovakia.

The arrests were carried out in the central-eastern Masovian and the eastern Podlaskie provinces of Poland, as well as the southern Silesian province.

The National Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement: “Among the detained individuals is an active officer of the Tax and Customs Service and four retired officers” who worked at an eastern road border crossing.

It added that three people had been charged with leading an organized crime group, and that the remaining suspects were charged with offenses relating to participating in an organized crime group.

The arrests are part of a wider investigation into the actions of a smuggling ring from 2020 to 2021 which involved several dozen people, including five customs officers.

If convicted, those involved could be jailed for up to 10 years.