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Slovenia: counterfeit cigarettes network dismantled
Illegal production was flooding French market, Europol said
28 January, 12:43
(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 28 - An illegal production line of
cigarettes that was "flooding the French market with millions of
counterfeit cigarettes" has been dismantled in Slovenia, the
European Union's law enforcement agency Europol informed today.
On January 25, the police authorities in Slovenia raided 11 sites in the country, including industrial premises and private residences, discovering several production sites established in warehouses located in remote areas of Slovenia. More than 26 tonnes of tobacco and 9 million filters were seized in Slovenia, together with machines intended for the cigarette manufacture and ten tonnes of printed papers for packaging. The amount of cigarettes which could have been produced with the seized merchandise would have had a value of 13 million euro on the French market, Europol said. Two leaders of the criminal network in charge of the manufacture of cigarettes were arrested.
The operation is a result of a complex investigation between the French and Slovenian authorities with the support of Europol, which began already in October 2020, with two more actions in 2021, the agency said. (ANSA).
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On January 25, the police authorities in Slovenia raided 11 sites in the country, including industrial premises and private residences, discovering several production sites established in warehouses located in remote areas of Slovenia. More than 26 tonnes of tobacco and 9 million filters were seized in Slovenia, together with machines intended for the cigarette manufacture and ten tonnes of printed papers for packaging. The amount of cigarettes which could have been produced with the seized merchandise would have had a value of 13 million euro on the French market, Europol said. Two leaders of the criminal network in charge of the manufacture of cigarettes were arrested.
The operation is a result of a complex investigation between the French and Slovenian authorities with the support of Europol, which began already in October 2020, with two more actions in 2021, the agency said. (ANSA).
