Criminal Weekly Report: From Smuggling Millions of Cigarettes to Daring Police Chases

The past week in Poland was marked by intensified operations by the Police and the National Revenue Administration. The greatest success was achieved by officers in Gdynia, where over 11 million cigarettes without excise duty were discovered in a container. The illegal goods were destined for the European market, and thanks to the vigilance of the officers, significant depletion of the State Treasury in tax revenue was prevented. The transport driver was arrested for three months. There were a series of dangerous incidents on the roads. On the A4 motorway, Silesian headhunters apprehended a 47-year-old fraudster after a chase. A truck driver played a key role in capturing the man by blocking the escape route of the fugitive's Toyota. Meanwhile, in Wodzisław Śląski, a drunk 48-year-old man crashed into the side of a Silesian Railways train and fled the scene but was quickly apprehended. Police from Kuyavia-Pomerania, as part of the "Sober Afternoon" campaign, removed as many as 24 drunk drivers from traffic in just a few hours. In 2022, Poland tightened its fine tariff, introducing significantly harsher penalties for speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol, aiming to improve national road safety.There were also tragic criminal events. In Racibórz, a 30-year-old man was charged with causing grievous bodily harm resulting in death after stabbing a 42-year-old acquaintance. A similar charge was brought against a 29-year-old man from the Ścinawa municipality, whose victim died in hospital several days after a fight. In the realm of economic crime, officers from Bolesławiec boasted success by shutting down an illegal gambling arcade. Alongside restrictive actions, police officers showed empathy – in Lubin, community officers used their own funds to buy warm clothing for the homeless, and in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, they helped a 78-year-old senior get his car out of the mud near a cemetery.