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Greece's biggest illegal cigarette ring smashed
Kathimerini, Greece
Sept 2 2005
A criminal ring using immigrants to produce millions of contraband
cigarettes in an underground factory near Thessaloniki has been broken,
police said yesterday after arresting a suspected gang member.
The 35-year-old ethnic Greek from Armenia is thought to be one of at
least 10 members of a ring employing Ukrainian and Moldovan immigrants,
in rotating groups of 20, over the past six months in exchange for
room and board.
He has been charged with forming a criminal organization, money
laundering, forgery and customs violations.
Raids on the illegal factory and on two nearby warehouses unearthed
more than 80 tons of tobacco and 2.3 million packs of contraband
cigarettes, most bearing the forged logo of a well-known Greek brand.
The factory comprised state-of-the-art manufacturing and packaging
machines, underground living quarters for staff and closed-circuit
television, police said.
Officers described the operation as unprecedented in Greece.
Kathimerini, Greece
Sept 2 2005
A criminal ring using immigrants to produce millions of contraband
cigarettes in an underground factory near Thessaloniki has been broken,
police said yesterday after arresting a suspected gang member.
The 35-year-old ethnic Greek from Armenia is thought to be one of at
least 10 members of a ring employing Ukrainian and Moldovan immigrants,
in rotating groups of 20, over the past six months in exchange for
room and board.
He has been charged with forming a criminal organization, money
laundering, forgery and customs violations.
Raids on the illegal factory and on two nearby warehouses unearthed
more than 80 tons of tobacco and 2.3 million packs of contraband
cigarettes, most bearing the forged logo of a well-known Greek brand.
The factory comprised state-of-the-art manufacturing and packaging
machines, underground living quarters for staff and closed-circuit
television, police said.
Officers described the operation as unprecedented in Greece.