Spanish authorities arrested 20 people in connection with the discovery of an illegal underground factorythat produced thousands of cigarettes per hour.
Civil guard of Spain (Guardia Civil) in cooperation with Europol and law enforcement agencies of Poland, Lithuania and the UK have discovered the bunker four meters (13 feet) under the stable in Malaga in southern Spain.
During a RAID by the Spanish police found in a bunker six workers of Ukrainian nationalitywho had lived in unsanitary conditions.
According to police, the men were not allowed to leave the «factory» on their own, and they were locked up during the change that is due to «extremely hazardous conditions». Beds for workers were also in four-meter bunker.
Workers also had trouble breathing after the power supply used to generate the air was turned off after 20 suspects were arrested. The police said that the workers probably would have died if they are not found in time.
It is believed that the underground bunker is the first tobacco factory in Europe, which is able to produce 3500 cigarettes per hour.
More than three million cigarettes were seized by law enforcement officials during raids at 13 places.
«The cigarettes were manufactured in unsanitary conditions and substandard components, — said the representative of Europol. — Crime group was distributing cigarettes in the European black market, according to preliminary estimates, in 2018, they have sold over 46.3 billion cigarettes.»
Also seized 20 kg of hashish and 144 kilos of marijuana, eight devices GPS tracking and one device jamming.
Civil guard of Spain said that 20 gang members were mostly British, including the alleged leader, a 31-year-old prison escapee Yorkshire Daniel Dobbs.
