BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 18. The destruction of 1.7 million kilograms of seized tobacco in the Free Zone “Port of Bar,” worth nearly 200 million euros, demonstrates the determination of the state to end the practice of smuggling, Prime Minister of Montenegro Milojko Spajić stated, Trend reports.
Prime Minister Spajić, members of the Coordination Team for the inventory of seized goods in the Free Zone “Port of Bar,” representatives of the Delegation of the European Union, and the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Montenegro formally marked the completion of activities related to the destruction of seized tobacco products in the Free Zone.
This is a clear signal of the rule of law, not only to our domestic public but to the entire world, that Montenegro has finally broken with its smuggling past. In a transparent and environmentally sustainable manner, and in cooperation with our partners from the EU and the United Kingdom, we have destroyed 1.7 million kilograms of tobacco. This represents 90 percent of the total quantity of tobacco products stored in the Free Zone “Port of Bar,” while the remainder has been excluded from the destruction process as they constitute evidence in ongoing criminal proceedings, emphasized the Prime Minister.
He added that the value of the destroyed cigarettes, had they entered the market, would have amounted to nearly 200 million euros, taking into account the minimum retail price of cigarettes in Montenegro.
The destruction process was carried out credibly and in an orderly manner, with full environmental protection. The company Deponija Podgorica implemented the process on-site, using modern industrial shredders under video surveillance, the Prime Minister explained.
With this destruction, we have resolved the issue of dealing with seized tobacco products, which can no longer be stored in the Free Zone, as foreseen by the Draft Law on Free Zones that has already passed public consultation, he noted.
The new legislation prohibits the production, processing, storage, temporary accommodation, transshipment, and transit of tobacco and tobacco products.
This means there will no longer be any possibility of smuggling through the Port of Bar, the Prime Minister underlined.
By banning the storage of cigarettes in the Free Zone and destroying seized products, we are closing one chapter and showing that Montenegro is no longer, and will not again be, one of the main transit points in the illegal trade of cigarettes, Spajić concluded.
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Montenegro, Dawn McKen, highlighted that this is a major step forward for Montenegro.
The Government has acted decisively to destroy tobacco in a transparent and credible manner, and the UK was pleased to support these efforts. We monitored the process daily and contributed to the implementation of this plan, carried out by the Police Administration, Customs Administration, and the company Deponija. I am also glad that all this was done in close cooperation with the EU, Ambassador McKen said.
In October and November 2024, the Customs Administration, with the active participation of officials from the UK Revenue and Customs Administration (HMRC), as well as Montenegro’s Police Administration, successfully conducted the inventory of seized tobacco products, in line with established methodology. The destruction of seized tobacco began on 23 June 2025.
In addition to HMRC, the European Union also provided support in the implementation of this demanding process.
