Spain

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on-euro-weekly-news/spain-news-in-english/139711-largest-ever-seizure-of-illegal-tobacco-in-spain

Just some of the tobacco seized Guardia Civil

IN A joint investigation between the Guardia Civil and the Tax Office under the codename ‘Rosa’, two people have been arrested and a plant producing ready to smoke tobacco has been closed in what is described as the largest seizure of its kind in Spain to date.

Working with the Association of Tobacconists in Granada who had been heavily hit by this illegal operation, an investigation commenced in January 2016 which included checking web pages offering tobacco for sale.

It transpired that much of this tobacco was produced in unsanitary conditions without following legal production requirements with no tax being paid or declared.

Having identified three properties in Chauchina (Granada) the combined operation noted the arrival of leaf tobacco which was then converted to tobacco suitable for smoking and distributed throughout Almeria, Granada, Jaen and Seville.

After being satisfied that this was an illegal operation undertaken in breach of tax and health laws, the joint investigators seized a total of 95,000 kilos of tobacco, arrested two people, closed the premises and seized manufacturing equipment, records as well as a number of vehicles.

http://www.thelocal.es/20160311/spain-seize-88-tonnes-of-contraband-tobacco-in-record-haul

Spanish police have seized a record 88 tonnes of contraband tobacco, the equivalent of over eight million packets of cigarettes and arrested six people, the government said Friday.

The tobacco was found in several warehouses in the provinces of Jaen and Almeria in the southern region of Andalucia and it had a street value of €14 million ($15.4 million), the finance ministry said in a statement.

Police detained six people who are suspected of chopping up the tobacco so as to make cigarettes and then selling it over the Internet.

“They even posted several tutorials online where they showed how to roll the cigarettes,” the statement said.

The operation more than doubles the previous record seizure of 41 tonnes of contraband tobacco carried out in November 2015 in Andalucia. Eleven people were detained in Jaen and Madrid as part of that operation.

The authorities suspect the six people who were arrested in the latest sting were trying to “substitute” the contraband tobacco operation that was dismantled last year.

Both contraband operations came to light when legal tobacco sellers in Andalucia complained that their sales had dropped sharply.

http://www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/news/on-euro-weekly-news/spain-news-in-english/135548-more-than-41-tonnes-of-smuggled-tobacco-seized

THE Guardia Civil, in collaboration with the Treasury Ministry, has seized more than 41 tonnes of tobacco in the largest tobacco seizure in Spanish history. The amount of tobacco is estimated to be enough to fill four million packets of cigarettes and has a market value of about €6,640,000.

Eleven members of the organisation have been arrested. They are being charged with smuggling and tax fraud, with the total amount of fraud adding up to €5,500,000 when taking into account IVA, special taxes and customs laws.

The investigation started at the beginning of the year after an increased amount of loose tobacco and roll-up cigarettes was noted in different parts of Jaen. At the same time, the police force began to receive numerous reports from local tobacco shops and tobacco distribution companies that sales were down about 30 per cent.

Increased police presence was established in order to determine if it was the result of smuggling. Officers began to carry out checks on establishments in the province in order to ensure that those selling tobacco were authorised to do so.

Officers carried out nine searches in the towns of Jodar and Linares, where they seized 400 kilos of tobacco, a large quantity of cigarettes, and numerous machines for cutting and rolling tobacco.

Afterwards, the Guardia Civil, in collaboration with the Tax Agency of Granada, detected that the supply company of the tobacco and the machines was doing its manufacturing in two industrial areas near Madrid. Upon investigation of these areas, the officers discovered that the supply company was not registered as a manufacturer, importer, or distributor of tobacco, which is required by Spanish law. Further investigation revealed that the company was buying tobacco in bulk from companies in Spain, Poland and Bangladesh, and the rolling and packaging machines from the United States.

The company had a large number of clients. Clients were found by means of phone calls or through the company´s website, which had servers located in France and Bangladesh. The distribution of the merchandise was carried out through a shipping company that makes daily shipments to all parts of Spain and Portugal. The receivers resold the products either in person or on the internet