Eu Borders Slow Russian Smugglers, but Don't Stop Them

Summary

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KALININGRAD, Russia - Down cobblestone streets, past red-roofed German cottages and bleak Soviet apartment blocks, an army of smugglers wends its way to the Polish border, their cars packed with contraband cigarettes and booze.

A Connecticut-size pocket of Russia wedged between Poland and Lithuania, Kaliningrad has for more than a decade been a smugglers' paradise, one of the key entry points into Europe for cheap vodka, tobacco and gasoline. But its two neighbors became new members of the European Union May 1, and now smugglers fear for their future.

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Extract

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Eu Borders Slow Russian Smugglers, but Don't Stop Them

For months, the EU has been pouring money into upgrading Poland's border security. EU-trained guards now boast state-of-the-art X-ray scanners and endoscopes. At the Bezledy customs post just across the border from Kaliningrad, officers confiscated 2.7 million packs of cigarettes last year, up from one million in 2001.

Poland's customs ins...

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