James Warren
THE Policia Nacional of Cordoba and Sevilla have joined forces to break apart a gang dedicated to the smuggling of 6,000 kilograms of illegal tobacco.
The operation focused on the Cordoban capital and the town of Ecija in Sevilla after a tip-off led them to a property used to store the illegal artefacts.
Agents from the Policia Nacional and the Vigilancia Aduanera de la Agencia Tributaria coordinated to seize two properties, breaking apart what is thought to be a national operation.
The sting focused on a villa on the outskirts of the capital, where investigators intercepted a rental van destined for a distribution centre in Madrid carrying nearly 1,000 kilograms of tobacco.
On entering the property, agents were greeted with over six tonnes of tobacco products, all packaged in refuse sacks ready for distribution.
In total, 6,150 kilograms were confiscated with an estimated resale value of over €1 million.
As a result, four people were arrested along with packaging, tobacco picking equipment and large amounts of cash.
In a coordinated raid in neighbouring Ecija, three more criminals were arrested, all for the crime of smuggling.
This latest raid comes just months after an underground tobacco factory was exposed in Coin, Malaga.
In February, six Ukrainian workers were rescued in the raid, all suffering from breathing difficulties, leading to the arrest of 20 British expats, including wanted drug trafficker Daniel Doobs.
