Russian Customs Broker: Russia’s ‘Gray Customs’ Channel Blocked, Causing Vaping Supply Shortages

According to insiders, due to strict inspections at the Kazakhstan border, Russia's 'gray customs' channel has been blocked, leading to a supply shortage in the Russian vaping market.

On September 12, Wang Juncheng, general manager of the Russian customs clearance company, told two sources that the Russian vaping market is currently experiencing a supply shortage. He stated, "(In the current Russian market) as long as there is stock, it will sell out quickly."  

The reason for this, Wang explained, is primarily due to the stringent inspections at the Kazakhstan border, which have prevented a large number of 'gray customs' vaping products from entering Russia. "There are currently hundreds of tons of vaping products stuck at the Kazakhstan border," he said.  

He also mentioned that the strict inspections in Kazakhstan may be due to pressure from the Russian government, and that Russia's entry inspections have also become very strict. This situation has persisted for 2-3 months.

Additionally, recent news reports indicate that the number of electronic cigarette seizures at the Kazakhstan border has significantly increased.

Specific reports are as follows:  

1. Kazakhstan customs seized electronic cigarette products worth 100 million RMB, marked with HQD, INFLAVE, and other brands.

2. Kazakhstan seized illegal tobacco products worth 30 million tenge.

3. Nearly 50,000 illegal smuggled electronic cigarettes were destroyed in Kazakhstan.

4. Kazakhstan seized over 55,000 illegal electronic cigarettes worth over 80 million tenge.