• More than a ton of chopped tobacco was seized, as well as 200 kilos of leaves and machinery for chopping, packaging and weighing

• The seized product has a value of 182,000 euros

February 5, 2024.- Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency in Córdoba and National Police agents from Écija have dismantled, in their fight against the trafficking of illegal substances, a clandestine center for smuggling tobacco snipping in the vicinity of the town of Fuentes de Andalucía (Seville). In the operation, carried out in the early hours of January 4, two Spanish nationals were arrested for alleged tobacco smuggling.

Following investigations carried out by Customs Surveillance officers and National Police agents, it became known that vehicles were entering and leaving a warehouse in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Fuentes de Andalucía late at night, which were suspicious because they could be carrying out some type of illegal activity.

Once one of these vehicles was located in the vicinity of Écija, it was followed and one of the occupants was identified as an individual who had been previously involved in smuggling chopped tobacco, and so the corresponding surveillance and control device was established.

Following the suspicious van's surveillance in the early hours of 4 January, and when it was about to enter a warehouse in the 'El Colmenar' industrial estate in Fuentes de Andalucía, the officers in charge intervened.

Merchandise ready for shipping throughout Spain

After inspecting the warehouse, 1,047 kilos of chopped tobacco, 200 kilos of tobacco leaves for cutting, a grinder with two motors, a scale and a vacuum packer, as well as packaging material, were found. A large amount of the seized merchandise was already in small boxes of various weights, packaged and sealed for shipment via courier companies throughout the country.

Two individuals from the same family and residents of Écija were arrested during the operation. In addition to the seized merchandise, there were a large number of empty boxes inside the warehouse, which leads investigators to believe that illegal activity had been taking place there for some time. The seized goods, which lacked the relevant health controls and permits, have an approximate value of 182,000 euros.

The detainees have been brought before a court and further arrests are not ruled out as investigations continue.