Criminal case sent forward against 14 Belarusians over illegal cigarette factory near Grobiņa
Latvia's Tax and Customs Police have completed an investigation in a separate criminal case against 14 Belarusian nationals suspected of making cigarettes illegally near Grobiņa. The damage to the state is estimated at more than 5.6 million euros.
The Tax and Customs Police, the Latvian agency that investigates tax and customs offences, have completed their investigation in a criminal case against fourteen Belarusian citizens. They are suspected of illegally manufacturing cigarettes in the Grobiņa area of Kurzeme, western Latvia. On 30 September the case was handed to the Kurzeme Judicial District Prosecutor's Office, which will decide on bringing charges.
How the factory operated
According to the police, the illegal plant ran a full production cycle, from shredding tobacco leaves to packing the finished cigarettes into boxes. The Belarusian nationals also lived on the factory premises.
The plant was discovered at the beginning of July this year after a complex set of operational measures. Investigators say they had to deal with counter-surveillance and concealment efforts by the group. When found, it was in active operation. It had two cigarette-making machines, two pack-wrapping lines, two carton-packing machines, and a machine for shredding and drying tobacco leaves. Initial estimates suggest it could produce around 1.5 million cigarettes a day on a single shift.
Charges and damage
The harm to the state is put at 5,683,897.70 euros. The case concerns the illegal manufacture, storage, transport and sale of tobacco products by a group acting on prior agreement and on a large scale. This is covered by Section 221, Part 3 of the Criminal Law.
The case against the 14 people was split off into separate proceedings. In the main criminal case, opened under the same provision, the investigation continues in order to establish all the circumstances. For the sake of the investigation, no further information is being released at present.
The police thanked the State Police Forensic Department and its Kurzeme regional department, as well as the Kurzeme District Prosecutor's Office and the Kurzeme District Court, for their cooperation, including the use of remote communication and court proceedings.
Under Section 19 of the Criminal Procedure Law, no one is considered guilty until guilt has been established in the manner prescribed by that law.
