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Romanians and Moldovans involved in one of the largest smuggling rings in Europe: In recent years, the organized crime gang has produced cigarettes worth 80 million euros, according to the European Anti-Fraud Office. Several smugglers working in Romania were arrested by DIICOT: they are accused of supplying goods to illegal cigarette factories, established in several European countries. Two agents of the Spanish Civil Guard also attended the activities.
In May of last year, the Border Police found various materials used in the manufacture of cigarettes, arousing their suspicions. They began to investigate and soon discovered that it was an international organized crime network that also includes Romanian and Moldovan citizens.
In Iasi, the police found huge corridors with dozens of boxes of labels, filters, aluminum foil and wrapping paper. Such a large cargo volume that the smugglers used a forklift.
The materials were bought in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and then transported on the basis of false documents to the countries where the cigarettes were packed: Hungary, Italy or Spain.
The group operating in Romania was in close contact with the criminals investigated during 2017-2019 by the European Anti-Fraud Office.
“The members of the group have established clandestine factories for the production and packaging of cigarettes in several Member States of the European Union. According to the report prepared by OLAF, the damage caused by the activity of the cross-border group amounts to 80 million euros ”, says Commissioner Georgiana Teodorescu, an agent of the Border Police.
To gather as much evidence as possible, DIICOT police and prosecutors conducted 40 searches in 11 counties. The activities were also attended by two agents of the Spanish Civil Guard, directly interested in identifying those who supply their citizens with materials for clandestine factories in Spain.
Digi24 journalist Ligia Pricopi: 50 people who are part of this cigarette smuggling network are the target of DIICOT prosecutors’ hearings. The group has branches beyond the borders of Romania.
Only four of those who will be heard are part of the network that operates in our country. In parallel, checks were carried out in Hungary and Italy, where the police found several illegal cigarette factories.
Publisher: GC
