Millions of counterfeit cigarettes and 33 tons of tobacco leaves seized in Spain

The Spanish Civil Guard seized 33 tons of tobacco leaves and six million counterfeit cigarettes from two clandestine factories located in the provinces of Madrid and Cordoba, which were operated by an international criminal organization.

Agents as part of Operation Ganuz-Kalifa Duke 24 also detained 20 suspected members of the group and released 11 workers of Bulgarian origin who were being held in one of the factories where counterfeit tobacco was produced and which was allegedly intended for sale on the black market in Portugal and France.

This was the assessment of the final stages of the still ongoing investigation carried out in March and April by the Economic and Anti-Corruption Investigations Unit of the Central Operations Unit (CID), which led to the dismantling of a network dedicated to the production and distribution of smuggled tobacco.

According to the General Directorate of the Civil Guard, the suspects were detained in the cities of Antequera (Malaga), Humanes (Madrid), Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara) and Montilla y Lucena (Córdoba).

The factories that were searched and eventually dismantled were located in Humanes and Lucena and had large and very complex facilities.

These enterprises operated the entire illegal production chain: from cutting and improving tobacco leaves to manufacturing, packaging and distribution of cigarettes.

In addition to the work area, both factories had premises where workers were forced to live and which they could not leave during their entire stay in Spain.

During a search at the Humanes plant, investigators released 11 workers of Bulgarian origin.

The Lucena facilities were built to prevent outside access and to make detection of these illegal activities difficult, as access could only be achieved through an adjacent warehouse where legal economic activity appeared to be taking place.

The factory, in turn, had a false wall behind which they built a basement where workers could hide in case of any inspection.

At both sites, agents seized 33 tons of leaf tobacco and six million counterfeit cigarettes, with a total street value of almost €7.6 million.

The cigarettes, believed to be intended for sale on the black market in Portugal and France, were masquerading as major brands.

However, inspectors emphasize that this is also the first time during this type of operation that they have discovered packages with non-branded packaging.

A large quantity of non-perishable food and essential products was also confiscated from the Lucena factory, which the Civil Guard handed over to Caritas Diocesana de Córdoba.

The operation involved the commands of Cordoba, Badajoz, Guadalajara and Madrid, as well as European agencies such as Europol and OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office), as well as police authorities in Ukraine and Bulgaria.