Germany arrests Russian for smuggling 12 million cigarettes

BERLIN – German police say they have arrested a Russian man suspected of smuggling some 12 million cigarettes into the country over two years.

Federal police say the 43-year-old, who was not identified, was detained in the northern port city of Kiel on Tuesday during a routine check.

They said in a statement Thursday that he is accused of smuggling the cigarettes into Germany between 2009 and 2011 as a member of a gang, causing German tax authorities losses of 1.67 million euros ($1.89 million).