Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• At the time of the intervention, the already dismantled organization had more than 2.5 tons of chopped tobacco ready for sale and 24.7 tons of tobacco leaves to be transformed into chopped tobacco, in addition to machinery to treat the tobacco leaves.
• There are 16 detainees accused of smuggling crimes and belonging to a criminal organization
• To make police investigation difficult, the organization used rental vehicles that changed continuously, had frequency inhibitors and carried out counter-surveillance work.

May 17, 2023.- Officials of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and agents of the National Police have dismantled a network dedicated to tobacco smuggling that operated in Jaén, Córdoba, Seville and Málaga, and have arrested 16 people as perpetrators of the crimes of smuggling and belonging to a criminal organization, as well as the seizure of more than 27 tons of tobacco in different stages of transformation.

The investigations began in mid-February after receiving information from Austria reporting the transit of tobacco leaves through Spain. Subsequent efforts made it possible to detect a criminal organization whose purpose was tobacco smuggling. Specifically, the network was dedicated to importing large quantities of tobacco leaf to later process it in the form of bites, package it and proceed to its distribution.

The organization, which operated trying to give an appearance of legality to its criminal activity, introduced large quantities of tobacco in its 'strip' form legally into Spain, for its subsequent diversion to a destination other than the declared one, driving the trucks to a ship on the outskirts of the city of Bailen (Jaén).

This point was used as a distribution center since, from here, camouflaging the tobacco leaf as merchandise destined for fertilizer by means of a new labeling of the boxes, it was sent to Córdoba, Málaga and Seville, where it was processed to turn it into tobacco. . There it was packaged in heat-sealed bags and distributed at a direct sale price to the consumer of 25 euros per kilo.

Security and counter-surveillance measures

The investigation made it possible to locate seven tobacco treatment points that were distributed in different provinces in order to separate them from the logistics center located in Bailen. This diversification of the manufacturing process in different factories reduced losses in the event of possible police intervention.

To make police investigation more difficult, the organization used rental vehicles, continually changing the leasing company. In addition, they adopted security measures such as the use of frequency jammers or shuttle vehicles that warned of police controls, and carried out counter-surveillance work.

Seized effects

In the operation, more than 2,500 kilos of cut tobacco and 24,700 kilos of strip-shaped leaf ready to be transformed into cut tobacco were involved, as well as ten tobacco grinding machines, six sealing machines, six precision scales, two plastic packaging machines and three frequency inhibitors. The value of the seized tobacco once processed into grinding could have amounted to 680,000 euros.

The joint investigations have been carried out by the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit of Córdoba belonging to the Tax Agency and the Judicial Police Teams, Narcotics Group of the Local Police Station of Linares (Jaén), and are included in the framework of the Operational Action 'Empact Excise 2.3' and Europol's 'AP Smocke'.

These actions, along with the detainees, effects and seized merchandise, have been made available to the Investigative Court number 5 of Linares.