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Diari de Catalunya

Counterfeit Tobacco Network Dismantled with Operations in La Selva

A joint operation by the Civil Guard and Europol has led to 20 arrests and the seizure of tons of material in Lloret de Mar and Vidreres.

Generic image of tobacco leaves and shredded tobacco, with cigarette manufacturing machinery in the background.
IA

Generic image of tobacco leaves and shredded tobacco, with cigarette manufacturing machinery in the background.

A joint operation by the Civil Guard and Europol has dismantled a significant counterfeit tobacco production and distribution network, with notable actions in the towns of Lloret de Mar and Vidreres, in the La Selva region.

The police operation, carried out during March, has resulted in the arrest of 20 individuals, four of whom have been remanded in provisional prison. The remaining individuals are under investigation as part of an ongoing operation that does not rule out further arrests.
According to police sources, the organization operated with a well-defined structure and possessed the industrial capacity to produce up to 900,000 cigarettes daily. The illicit product was primarily destined for various markets within the European Union, generating an estimated tax fraud of 30 million euros.
The investigation, which spanned nearly two years, included searches of industrial warehouses in Lloret de Mar and Vidreres, as well as other Catalan municipalities. During these interventions, approximately 30,000 kilograms of tobacco leaf, over 70,000 kilograms of shredded tobacco, and millions of essential cigarette manufacturing components were seized.
Authorities are also investigating a potential case of labor exploitation, as some of the detainees are believed to be undocumented workers allegedly held by the organization. The case is currently under the jurisdiction of a court in Igualada.

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