The investigators are clarifying how long the illegal cigarette factory, discovered in the industrial zone of Karnobat, has been operating. During a joint operation by the National Security Agency, the Directorate of the Border Police and the Border Police, about 12 tons of tobacco, equipment in three halls and blanks for cigarettes of various brands were found.
The factory was located in a former tire warehouse. According to the Directorate of the Border Police, the signal about the site was received at the beginning of the month, and after search operations it was located in Karnobat. When the employees entered, the production premises were equipped for a complete cycle – from tobacco processing to cigarette filling.
„Upon entering it, about 12 tons of tobacco were found, the equipment located in three halls and blanks for the production of cigarettes of various brands“, said Commissioner Pavel Koleva, head of the department at the Directorate of Tobacco Control - Burgas.Production could have continued in shifts
Machines for cutting and moistening tobacco, as well as materials for making cigarettes, were found at the site. The Burgas District Prosecutor's Office reported that the complete technology was on site - from drying and chopping tobacco to filling blanks.
Investigators also found three bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen and a gym. According to the prosecutor's office, it is assumed that the workers stayed there in shifts so that production would not stop and the movement around the building would not attract attention. The assumption that some of them were foreigners is also being checked.
„The entire technology is really complete - from drying the tobacco to chopping it, filling it into the corresponding blanks. There are all kinds of blanks“, said Maria Markova, head of the Burgas District Prosecutor's Office.One person has been detained
A 58-year-old man from Karnobat has been detained. According to data from the Directorate for the Prevention of Drug Trafficking in Persons, the remaining persons who were involved in the production and distribution of excise goods are being identified.
It is also yet to be clarified whether the detainee, who owns the premises, was the organizer of the criminal activity. There is still no definitive data on when the factory began operating, but the scale of the equipment gives investigators reason to assume that production continued for a long time.
According to Senior Commissioner Lachezar Momchev, Director of the “Border Police“ – Burgas, the products were probably intended for markets in Western and Central Europe.
Sources: bntnews.bg