• There are eight people responsible for the criminal action, who used their own homes to carry out illicit work.

• In the records, a total of 226 kilos of deveined 'strip' tobacco leaf and 132 kilos of cut tobacco prepared for sale have been seized, lacking any fiscal and health control.

• A scale, two machines for grinding tobacco and five for the manufacture, processing and packaging of homemade cigarettes have also been learned, in addition to 35 grams of hashish, a revolver and ammunition, as well as 19,233 euros.

July 7, 2023.- Officials of the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit Tax Agency in Extremadura and the Fiscal Detachment of the Civil Guard of Valdebótoa-Badajoz, within the framework of the Joint Operation ' Customs Rybak', have dismantled three points of reception, processing, distribution and clandestine sale of tobacco tobacco in Badajoz.

This operation began last March, when investigators intercepted, on several occasions in this capital of Badajoz, people who, unrelated to each other, were carrying small quantities of perfectly bagged cut tobacco and lacking fiscal and health control, whose destination It could be the clandestine manufacture of homemade cigarettes for later sale.

Due to suspicions of the existence of a nearby distribution point, this operation was started to try to locate it.

From the efforts carried out and investigations obtained in the course of the investigation, it was possible to discover the existence of a perfectly organized criminal group that would be dedicated to the reception, processing, manufacturing and distribution of contraband tobacco.

People with well-defined roles within the organization operated under the command of two leaders, who clearly defined the tasks of each of the members, all of them residents of this capital of Badajoz.

With the location of three homes from where they carried out the criminal action, service devices were established around them, observing the criminals' entries and exits into the properties, supposedly with illegal tobacco.

The operation

Given the incriminating evidence and once coordinated with the Court and Prosecutor's Office of Badajoz, on Monday, June 26, a search was carried out of the homes where a total of 226.5 kilos of 'strip' (deveined tobacco leaf) were found in boxes. ) and 132.8 kilos of minced meat, distributed in bags and already prepared for sale, lacking any fiscal and health control.

In addition to the tobacco, the investigators found two machines for chopping and packaging, and five machines for packaging and manufacturing 'homemade' cigarettes that the organization sold clandestinely, and a total of 2,600 cigarettes were found during the inspections.

Also seized were 35 grams of hashish, a revolver and ammunition of various calibers, as well as 19,233 euros supposedly coming from criminal actions related to tobacco smuggling.

With the incriminating evidence, the two ringleaders were arrested and the remaining six were investigated for their involvement in crimes of smuggling, against public health, illegal possession of weapons and membership in a criminal group. The detainees and investigated have been placed at the disposal of the Investigating Court. from Badajoz.

These illegal activities not only cause economic damage to public finances, but also put people's health at risk as these products lack any type of health guarantee.