The Tax Agency and the Andorran Police dismantle the most active tobacco smuggling organizations in Spanish territory
- Operation 'Alga' concluded yesterday with a total of 35 arrests in five autonomous communities, 237,500 packets of tobacco seized and more than 20 raids and searches in homes and businesses
- The detainees, accused of belonging to a criminal organization and crimes of smuggling, against the Public Treasury and money laundering, among others, will be brought before the court in the next few hours.
The Tax Agency and the Andorran Police, in collaboration with the European Commission's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), have dismantled what are considered to be the most active tobacco smuggling organisations in Spain. The so-called 'Alga' operation concluded yesterday with a total of 35 arrests in Galicia (23), Catalonia (8), Andalusia (2), Asturias (1) and Castilla La Mancha (1), and more than 20 raids and searches in homes and commercial premises.
With a wide capillary network that allowed them to distribute contraband merchandise throughout the national territory, the now deactivated organizations managed to circulate tobacco from Andorra to various points of sale distributed throughout the national territory, with a special incidence in Galicia.
At that time, the Tax Agency made 19 arrests and seized a total of 450,000 packets of tobacco, which would have caused a loss of 1.5 million euros to the State coffers, leaving the market for contraband tobacco in Galicia short of supplies, leading to the entry of the smuggling network from Andorra, which has now been dismantled.
During the investigation of Operation Alga, carried out by Customs Surveillance of Galicia and Catalonia and by the Andorran Police, a dozen shipments of contraband tobacco from Andorra were intercepted, leading to the seizure of 237,500 packets. Among the shipments seized during the investigation, the most notable was the one carried out in La Coruña on June 4, in which a truck from the Principality was intercepted with a false bottom in which almost 75,000 packets of tobacco were hidden.
Operation 'Alga' - Distribution of arrests
Porriño (Pontevedra), April 18: 17,500 packs and 2 arrests.
Cordoba, May 17: 6,000 packs (shipped by parcel service).
Verín (Ourense), July 6: 15,000 packs and one arrest.
Porriño (Pontevedra), July 11: 10,500 packs and 3 arrests.
Inmarcoain (Navarre), July 18: 3,500 packs.
TOTAL: 237,500 packs and 35 arrests.
Among those arrested are the leaders of the smuggling organisations, who directed the introduction of tobacco into Spain, its distribution and even its sale at certain points, as well as several active sellers of contraband tobacco who took advantage of the appearance of legal businesses to make illegal tobacco available to consumers. The detainees, who are accused of belonging to a criminal organisation and various crimes of smuggling, treasury fraud, money laundering and industrial property, will be brought before a judge in the next few hours.
The operation closed yesterday involved personnel from Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency in Galicia, Catalonia, Asturias and Andalusia, and members of the Criminal Police Department of the Andorran Police. The search carried out at the Mercado de la Piedra in Vigo also included the support of officers from the National Police Corps assigned to the Prevention and Reaction Unit of the Vigo Police Station. The investigation in Andorra has been led by the “Batlle” (judge) of the Court of Instruction No. 6 of the Principality of Andorra, who has declared the confidentiality of the criminal investigation proceedings initiated.
All these actions are part of the annual fraud control plan designed by the Tax Agency, in which the fight against tobacco smuggling is one of the priorities. As a result of this determined action to combat illegal trafficking, by 30 June the Agency had already seized 5.8 million packets of cigarettes, 27.8% more than in the same period last year.