Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Hennadiy Moskal has announced the creation of temporary customs control zones in two mountain passes at the entrance to Zakarpattia region for more effective fight with smuggling.

"Zakarpattia takes enhanced measures for cargo flows control not only directly at the state border, but also at the entry to the region from neighboring areas for a more effective fight against smuggling of excise goods (primarily cigarettes)," Moskal's official website reports on Thursday.

The Zakarpattia regional governor held a special meeting with customs heads, border guards, law enforcement bodies and heads of district state administrations where he gave them a task to create a temporary zone of customs control at checkpoints in the village of Nyzhni Vorota in Volovets district, Zakarpattia region and in the village of Lazeschyna in Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia.

"The bulk of goods go through these check points from other Ukrainian regions. Henceforth, cargo traffic will be monitored not only by police and tax officials, but border guards and customs officers that have the right to remove the truck seals, inspect the goods and seal them again at the entrance to the region. Enhanced goods control over two mountain passes is necessary in order to reduce the number of cigarettes brought to us for the purpose of further smuggling not through check points, but through other sections of the border," the report says.

The police have been given the task to take additional measures for preventing illegal migrants and criminals from coming into the region.