Customs offers launch operation at market in west Bohemia

Some 600 customs officers launched a major operation at one of the largest markets in western Bohemia on Saturday, checking mainly for the sale of illegal tobacco products. Officers searched 450 stands at the market, known as Svatý Kříž, and also ran searches on cars and nearby containers. Recent operations uncovered a secret factory capable of producing 2,500 fake-brand cigarettes per minute, representing unpaid taxes of 134 million crowns (the equivalent of around 8 million US dollars).