John Culatto
POLICE raided a large illegal cigarette factory in Malaga, seized 16 tons of tobacco and arrested ten people.
National Police caught nine workers and their boss redhanded operating the illegal factory’s industrial machinery in an unidentified warehouse.
Torremolinos’ organised crime unit launched operation ‘Bunker’ after discovering the suspicious warehouse that had no commercial benefit and not even a sign in front of it.
Investigators discovered that it was using heavy machinery and that trucks were regularly transporting people to the warehouse.
Police officers raided the warehouse on November 7, finding the covet illegal tabacco factory inside.
Due to the large scale of the operation, the police contacted the Customs officers help them investigate the clandestine operation.
After interviewing the illegal workers, they found out that criminal masterminds brought them to the factory in trucks while wearing tinted goggles.
The criminal organisation secretly brought the tobacco and industrial machinery from Bulgaria.
They would then roll it up into cigarettes and package it as different well-known brands.
Their goal was to export the processed tobacco to Britain.
Apart from the 16 tons of chopped tobacco, police found nearly 6,500 ready-made cigarette packets, 14 pallets of filters and 15 boxes of branded cigarette cartons.
Those arrested were charged with belonging to a criminal organisation, endangering public health, property theft and contraband.
READ MORE:
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