Tobacco Smuggling Bust: Over 170 Arrests at Tenerife Sur Airport in Two Years

The Civil Guard, as part of Operation Tem Pro, which is taking place throughout 2023 and 2024, has apprehended and investigated 175 individuals of various nationalities at Tenerife South airport who were engaged in transporting substantial amounts of smuggled tobacco into England via multiple airports.

The operation commenced in December 2022 with the investigation of 11 individuals and the seizure of 20 suitcases containing over 1,200 cartons and 35 kilograms of shredded tobacco, as reported by the Civil Guard.

As detailed, the tax benefits available in the Canary Islands regarding taxes on tobacco products and stagnant goods often lead visitors to the islands to buy tobacco to transport back to their home country.

However, through meticulous analysis and investigation of numerous flights and individuals, authorities were able to uncover and identify individuals “perfectly coordinated and hierarchically structured,” who engaged in frequent tobacco smuggling operations along with subsequent money laundering activities in both the UK and Romania, as indicated by the Civil Guard.

In December 2023, a coordination meeting took place involving the Fiscal and Border Investigation and Analysis Unit of the Civil Guard Section in Tenerife South (Udaiff), Europol, and British authorities, to share findings obtained by the Civil Guard.

Following an investigation during the final phase of Team Pro operation, several arrests were made, 138 reports of tobacco smuggling were generated, and six theft cases were resolved.

The British authorities executed three searches in commercial properties located in Luton, Peterborough, and Manchester, raising the aggregate value of the tobacco and products confiscated in both Spain and England to over one and a half million euros.

The continuous profits generated from tobacco sales, which were laundered in both the United Kingdom and Romania, were reinvested into the acquisition of businesses and properties.

With this operation, the criminal network is deemed to have been dismantled, stated the Civil Guard, adding that the arrested individuals, along with the gathered evidence, have been forwarded to the Investigative Court of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife.

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