Contraband on maiden voyage
10th May 2001, Page 12
10th May 2001
Page 12
Page 12, 10th May 2001
— Contraband on maiden voyage
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in The maiden voyage of the world's largest cruise ferry was marred by the discovery of more than 2.5 million black market cigarettes on board.
The £90m KO Pride of Rotterdam had docked for a civic reception in Hull on 1 May when Customs officers discovered the contraband hidden inside a Hungarian truck on board.
The cigarettes, worth more than £400,000, were hidden inside bags of plastic granules.
This is the second major seizure of cigarettes on this route in the past two weeks, say Customs officials. The truck driver, a Hungarian national, was interviewed by customs staff and later released.
The 60,000-tonne ferry can carry 1,300 passengers and 250 vehicles; it is expected to cut journey times across the North Sea by two-and-a-haff hours.