SCANDAL/ How smuggled wines endanger our lives

In another investigation, CNA has uncovered another scandal that has "suffered" Albania.

In many shops and restaurants in the center of Tirana, wines without fiscal stamps are being sold, without certainty about their content and origin.

This not only causes distortion of competition, but we are dealing with a potential risk to human health.

In addition, we are dealing with corruption and irresponsibility on the part of institutions, in this case Customs, Taxes and the National Institute of Health, which allow these fake, uncertified products, which endanger the health of citizens, to enter Albania, be introduced into the market and distributed in luxury restaurants as wines of the most famous brands.

A total irresponsibility, a violation of the law and abuse of office.

CNA has denounced that wines without fiscal stamps are being introduced into the Albanian market via Italy, hitting competition, but from our investigation, the scandal goes even further, to the introduction of fake products, as a wine without a fiscal stamp and uncertified by the producer is a food-unsafe product whose ingredients are unknown and undoubtedly endangers the life of the consumer.

Considerable quantities of premium wines are circulating, presented as very well-known French and Italian brands such as Petrus, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto and Romanée-Conti, despite their very limited production, they are being sold in quantities in Albania as if they were water.

These products are suspected to come through unofficial channels with the aim of avoiding fiscal controls. They are sold at lower prices to entice consumers, but without fiscal stamps and no guarantee of authenticity.

There is a great risk, as these products are counterfeit or uncertified, endangering both the consumer and the official market.

In addition to potential commercial fraud, this situation also constitutes a legal violation and illegal trafficking of products.

The responsibility for this scandal, which endangers the health of citizens, falls on Customs, Taxes and the National Food Agency, which allow these uncertified, counterfeit products, without fiscal stamps, to enter Albania and be sold in shops and restaurants.

This is a situation that requires control, as we are dealing with the health of citizens, tax evasion, and the destruction of competition./ CNA

Dozens of wine labels from the best international brands circulate in the Albanian market, which you can usually find in luxury establishments without a fiscal stamp.

In some stores and restaurants, the "VIP" clientele uses so-called "quality" wines that are unstamped, quantities of very expensive brand wines such as Petrus, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto and Romanée-Conti are easily found, while their production and the quantity that comes out of the producer itself is very limited.

These are wine products whose prices range from 400 to over 1,000 or 2,000 euros per bottle that the "VIPs of Tirana" use without fiscal stamps.

In Albanian, it simply means: a luxury product used by "VIPs", but which is totally uncertified, uncontrolled, smuggled and in many cases fake.

So, we have "VIP" clients who use expensive wines, but who actually only enjoy the label, as the wines do not have a fiscal stamp and are not traded by the official distributor, who, in fact, is both the producer's certifier and its guarantor.

Wines that come from outside this chain are unsafe, fake, and absolutely dangerous to health.

A wine without a fiscal stamp means an uncontrolled, uncertified wine that may have been bottled or labeled in the cellars of the Combine, that may have come smuggled, produced in a counterfeit warehouse in Turkey or Southern Italy, that simply has a label, but which is a health risk, since it is not known what is inside the bottle.

A wine without a fiscal stamp not only does not guarantee quality, but it may be a product with a mixture of chemicals to achieve the taste, which could even take your life.

A wine without a fiscal stamp is a product that is not guaranteed by the manufacturer because the latter passes everything through official distributors, who are authorized to sell quality brands, and not in vain, this is due to the conditions from the storage of the wine, the way it is transported, and to the guarantee after opening the bottle.

A wine without a fiscal stamp means distorted competition in the market.

Some thieves and bandits introduce alcohol products that are dangerous to health into the market through counterfeit and unstamped wines.

In many restaurants and stores you will find these products without fiscal stamps, which are a direct charge to Customs, Taxes and the National Institute of Labor. 

Customs for the very fact that they allow them to enter through border points, and it's not about a box or two bottles, but we're talking about thousands and thousands of bottles for which no customs fee is paid.

Taxes are the second institution accused, as wines are excise goods and the fiscal burden is approximately 60% of the price, which means that hundreds of thousands of euros, perhaps even millions, are missing from the state budget because Taxes allow wines without fiscal stamps or other alcoholic beverages to be traded.

The third institution under responsibility is the AKU. We have not yet heard of any operation in the market to control alcoholic beverages with false labels, wines without fiscal stamps or counterfeits, which are commonly consumed by citizens and perhaps by inspectors and managers of the AKU, Taxes or Customs, who by not enforcing the law are committing three crimes.

First, they are endangering the lives and health of citizens.

Secondly, they have become part of a massive tax evasion scheme.

Third, they are destroying competition in the market, but not only that./ CNA

In many shops and bars in the center of Tirana, wines are being sold without fiscal stamps, without any assurance of their content and origin.

Wine without fiscal stamps means that companies authorized as distributors by the producer, which also bear legal responsibility, are not paying taxes and are competing unfairly. This is fiscal evasion that places responsibility on two institutions, Customs and Taxes. Wine without stamps distorts competition and any other product without a fiscal invoice shows fiscal evasion and corruption. Evasion because taxes are not paid and this distorts competition. Corruption because it shows us that Customs has allowed excise goods to enter the Albanian market without stamps.

Also, the presence of wines without fiscal stamps shows that the Tax Authorities are blind, deaf and do not enforce the law. They are either corrupt or thieves, or accomplices in this crime or should be fired for incompetence. We are not excluding the AKU in this scandal either, which looks like a charity, but by not functioning, it endangers the health of citizens.

CNA will bring in the coming days full materials with details regarding many entities that introduce goods into the Albanian market without fiscal stamps through Italy, hitting the competition, but from our investigation the scandal goes further to the introduction of counterfeit products, as a wine without a fiscal stamp and uncertified by the producer is a product without food safety, whose ingredients are unknown and undoubtedly endangers the life of the consumer.

CNA has been able to gather information that various individuals, vans, trucks, entities are bringing in contraband, as well as counterfeit products from Turkey, North Macedonia and Italy. In addition to a distorted competition in the market, in addition to the state lacking money in the coffers, the lives of citizens are at risk. This is an alarm that shows an axis of corruption, between irresponsible individuals who seek to profit by not paying taxes and risking the lives of citizens, to Customs who have lined their pockets, because it is not about 1 or 5 bottles, 2 or 10 boxes. It is about thousands of bottles from counterfeit brands. It is not just about smuggling, because that would be half the trouble, but also about counterfeit products.

The axis of corruption by irresponsible individuals goes to the "sly" customs that have allowed to pass through the border points and ends in the blindness of the tax collectors, who seem to be as thieves as the Customs. Day after day, we will show how in the ports of Vlora, Durrës, in the customs of Qafë Thana, Kapshtica or even in the Hani i Hotit BCP, thousands of bottles of smuggled wine, without fiscal stamps, are flooding towards Albania and this is not the only case with counterfeit products, including those of high quality.

This also applies to many other products, such as cigars, expensive alcoholic beverages, whiskey, gin, etc., as in the case of wines, in addition to being smuggled, they are also counterfeit./ CNA