Lithuanian authorities said Friday they have dismantled an underground cigarette factory in the city of Kaunas and arrested 11 suspects, including Belarusian nationals employed in the tobacco industry.
Saulius Briginas, deputy head of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, told reporters the operation uncovered a well-organised group engaged in counterfeiting and manufacturing cigarettes.
“During the raid, a well–organised group of 11 people were detained, including those caught in the act of producing counterfeit cigarettes,” Briginas said, adding that the alleged organisers of the operation were also among those arrested.
He noted that some suspects were Belarusian citizens with specialised knowledge of cigarette production.
“They are employees of one of the companies in Belarus that officially engages in cigarette manufacturing,” Briginas said.
According to law enforcement, the factory had been operating for about a year and was producing counterfeit versions of well-known brands, including Marlboro, Camel, Winston and Prince.
Kaunas District Prosecutor Andrius Kiuršinas said the investigation is being conducted under four articles of the Criminal Code: organising and participating in a criminal association, illegal possession of excise goods of high value, unlawful use of a trademark, and document theft.
“All suspects have been placed in custody for a rather long three-month period,” Kiuršinas said, adding that the number of suspects may increase as the investigation continues.
Authorities said the group was capable of producing up to 200 boxes of cigarettes in a single shift. Police seized 32 pallets of finished products – about 459,000 packs – equivalent to a fully loaded truck trailer.
In total, investigators estimate the factory produced about 6.5 million packs of cigarettes, with a market value of roughly 30 million euros.
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