"This tunnel was equipped with a small train, capable of transporting various kinds of goods and we suspect also people," said Robert Kalinak, Slovak Interior Minister. This is the first such tunnel discovered in the region, he added.
The entrance was discovered in a warehouse near Vysne and Nizne Nemecke. Slovak tax evasion forces had been watching the warehouse prior to the bust. The police seized more than 2.5 million cigarettes during the operation.
"Cigarette smuggling from Eastern countries has been on the increase in the recent years when the prices of cigarettes have been going up," said Jitka Blahutova, the spokesperson for the Plzen, Czech Republic customs police.
The border between Slovakia and Ukraine is along the eastern border of the Schengen Area. Once inside Slovakia, smuggled cigarettes can be easily distributed to other Schengen states.
