Officials from the National Revenue Administration (KAS) successfully blocked an attempt to smuggle nearly 1,500 tons of illegal waste from Ukraine into Poland. The interception took place at the border crossing in Dorohusk and was later detailed in an official government statement. The case highlights yet another instance where Ukraine is testing the patience of Polish government authorities.

During an inspection of 35 wagons on a freight train arriving from Ukraine, officers from the Lublin Customs and Tax Office discovered that the cargo did not match its documentation. While the clearance papers described the load as “steel scrap – bulk waste” weighing nearly 1,500 tons, a physical search revealed a much more complex and illegal mixture.

According to the National Revenue Administration, “it was not just scrap steel, but a mixture of various wastes, “which contained a variety of unsorted materials, including used automotive parts, assembly foams and cables, and textile materials and plastic waste.

The Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection determined that the cargo was a heterogeneous mixture “for which it is not possible to clearly establish the customs tariff code.” Furthermore, authorities discovered that the intended recipient in Poland lacked the necessary waste processing permits to handle such materials.

Following the discovery, the Chief Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (GIOŚ) in Warsaw officially categorized the shipment as illegal. This led the Head of the Lublin Customs and Tax Office to notify the prosecutor’s office regarding the “suspicion of committing a crime.”

Now, by order of the Polish prosecutor’s office, the entire 35-wagon transport was sent back to Ukraine. KAS reiterated its commitment to environmental safety, noting that the administration “monitors cross-border shipments of waste and combats attempts to import illegal waste into Poland,” with the primary goal of protecting the public and the environment from harmful pollutants.