The GNR Tax Action Unit, through the Tax Action Detachment of Faro, on June 25, carried out a police operation in the Loulé area, which resulted in the detention of 13 individuals, including 12 men and one woman, aged between 30 and 65 years of Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian and Portuguese nationality, and seized tobacco sufficient for consumption of about 46 million cigarettes.
As part of an investigation that has been underway for about six months as part of an investigation into an international criminal organization engaged in fraudulent tobacco production and marketing, the Republican National Guard carried out this operation with the aim of to dismantle an illegal cigarette manufacturing factory on a large scale, leading to the detention of the suspects responsible for its operation.
A total of 14 warrants were issued, including five for arrest, seven for domestic search, one for the illicit manufacture of tobacco, and one for the warehouse used to store illicit production. The following was seized:
About 15,600,000 cigarettes produced in the factory;
- About 17 tons of tobacco leaf (would produce about 16,800,000 cigarettes);
- About 14 tons of crushed tobacco (it would produce 13,750,000 cigarettes);
- Five Machines used in the grinding of tobacco leaf, manufacture and packaging of illicitly produced tobacco;
- Diverse raw materials used in illicit production, such as filters, glues, cigarette holders, cigarette tubes, carton paper, cellophane, tobacco paper and boxes for packaging tobacco;
- Six light vehicles;
- A firearm.
It is estimated that fraud and tax evasion, generated by the production and sale of tobacco produced in the aforementioned factory, which was destined for the National Territory and countries of the European Union, amounts to more than 9,600,000 euros.
This operation, unprecedented in Portugal, culminating in the dismantling of the first infrastructure of mass production of cigarettes in National Territory, was supported and sponsored by EUROPOL and with the collaboration of the Polish Border Guard and the Polish Police. It involved the commitment of 100 soldiers, the Fiscal Action Unit, the Intervention Unit and the Territorial Commands of Beja, Évora, Faro, Portalegre and Santarém.
Two defendants of Greek nationality, aged 37 and 60, were suspected of being part of this criminal group. One of the detainees had an international alert for the purposes of arrest and surrender or extradition through the Schengen system.
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