Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• At the time of the intervention, the organization, which was already dismantled, had more than 2.5 tons of chopped tobacco ready for sale and 24.7 tons of tobacco leaves for processing into cut tobacco, in addition to machinery to process the tobacco leaves.
• There are 16 detainees accused of smuggling crimes and belonging to a criminal organization
• To hinder police investigations, the organization used rental vehicles that it 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 proceeded to the arrest of 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 processing.

Investigations began in mid-February after receiving information from Austria reporting the transit of tobacco leaves through Spain. Subsequent investigations led to the detection of a criminal organisation whose aim was tobacco smuggling. Specifically, the network was dedicated to importing large quantities of tobacco leaves to later process them into chopped tobacco, package them and distribute them.

The organisation, which operated by 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 one declared, driving the trucks to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city of Bailen (Jaén).

This point was used as a distribution centre, since from here, the tobacco leaf was camouflaged as merchandise destined for fertilizer by means of a new labelling of the boxes, and was sent to Córdoba, Málaga and Seville, where it was processed to convert it into cut tobacco. There it was packaged in heat-sealed bags and distributed at a direct sales price to consumers of 25 euros per kilo.

Security and counter-surveillance measures

The investigation allowed the location of seven tobacco treatment points that were spread across different provinces in order to disassociate them from the logistics centre located in Bailen. This diversification of the production process in different factories reduced losses in the event of a possible police intervention.

To make the police investigation more difficult, the organisation used rental vehicles, continually changing rental companies. In addition, they adopted security measures such as the use of frequency inhibitors or shuttle vehicles that alerted police checkpoints, and carried out counter-surveillance tasks.

Seized effects

The operation involved the seizure of more than 2,500 kilos of tobacco cuts and 24,700 kilos of leaves in the form of strips ready to be transformed into cuts, as well as ten tobacco cutting machines, six sealing machines, six precision scales, two plastic packaging machines and three frequency inhibitors. The value of the seized tobacco, once processed into cut tobacco, 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, the 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 the 'AP Smocke' of Europol.

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