Cigarette Mafia overtaken by wave of arrests
About ten million smuggled cigarettes demonstrated - head of the gang were arrested in bed
The close cooperation Cologne Customs investigators with the Belgian and Polish police conducted with the support of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), again a great success in the common fight against international cigarette smuggling.
Since December last year ran the investigations in the three countries and schwerstkriminelle against a violent gang in full swing. The investigators quickly became clear that the smugglers have a perfectly functioning logistics for transport and distribution of illegal goods were established. Ukrainian million cigarettes and counterfeit cigarettes from China arrived on an interim so in Eupen, Belgium to Britain and Germany. Aachen was out of the hot product with small shipments and they will be concluded among other things, to the Ruhr area, especially in the area Recklinghausen.
A Polish Special Commission established against the local mafia cigarettes and went on 05th March 2008 in a major operation against them before. While 26 were executed arrest warrants. During the searches were Polish investigators nine kilograms of gold, 2.5 million euros cash and three million cigarettes in their hands. In addition, 29 bank accounts with substantial assets seized.
Customs investigators from Cologne beat at dawn the same day and searched 14 properties in the metropolitan area in the Ruhr and Aachen. They found it near untaxed cigarettes schussbereite weapon and other evidence.
Arrest warrant sought with the head of the gang, a 49-year old Polish nationals from Biala Podlaska / PL, stayed at a hospital in Aachen on. He was arrested at the bedside and should be extradited to Poland.
Currently, the gang more than ten million smuggled cigarettes, be charged. The previously established tax loss amounted to nearly two million euros. The further investigations against the purchasers are continuing.
Customs investigators suspected cigarette smugglers take notes
In an investigation of the prosecutor have Verdener Bremer Customs investigators yesterday lunchtime a suspected cigarette smugglers arrested and 169,000 cigarettes were seized.
Smuggling cheap cigarettes on a car-trailer
The 45-year-old man is suspected of professional duty and untaxed cigarettes to smuggle. The investigations go on an inspection in July 2007, when DEM 1,300 sticks of cheap cigarettes in a small van had been found.
During a subsequent search revealed the investigators suspected that the accused has a regular and long-lasting illegal cigarette trafficking operation. He was apparently supplies from Poland, his customers had the man in the whole federal territory.
On 06 March 2008 the accused was reviewed. He appeared with an SUV along with trailers for a forwarding uninvolved in the Bremen area, to pick a palette. In the subsequent control, the control of the mobile Hauptzollamt Bremen 1,691 rods untaxed cigarettes of the brand "L & M 'notes.
As the man at midday yesterday, once again with a vehicle and the trailer in the same forwarding presentation, the officers stood ready. In the control of the vehicle and the trailer they found in a so-called pendulum range of 845 bars cigarette brand "L & M" with Ukrainian tax stamps.
The fiscal damage apprehended this amounts to 32,000 euros.
The Customs investigators suspect that the transactions of the accused has already run a half years. Assuming an transporting cigarettes per week, are in one year may be around 2.4 million euros in taxes were evaded.
Against the 45-year-olds was arrest warrant, he is in custody.