- Italian authorities, at the request of the EPPO, seized a clandestine cigarette factory in Padova, along with 5.5 tonnes of cigarettes and 16 tonnes of tobacco.
- The factory, valued at over €1 million, could produce up to 2 million cigarettes per day and contained packaging materials with counterfeit logos.
- Three Moldovan nationals were found inside and reported for possession of smuggled tobacco and trademark counterfeiting.
- The operation followed months of surveillance and investigation, uncovering a supply chain despite sophisticated counter-surveillance.
- The illegal operation could have caused over €1.3 million in lost taxes and €80 million in damage to public finances annually.
Source: eppo.europa.eu
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
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