SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Jan. 21 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Civil Guard, as part of ‘Operation TEAMPRO’, conducted throughout 2023 and 2024, has apprehended and investigated a total of 175 individuals of various nationalities, who were engaged in smuggling significant amounts of illicit tobacco into England via several airports.
The operation commenced in December 2022 with the initial inquiry involving 11 individuals and the seizure of 20 suitcases containing over 1,200 cartons and 35 kilos of tobacco.
The Civil Guard notes that due to the tax incentives available in the Canary Islands regarding taxation on tobacco products, it is not uncommon for visitors to the islands to take advantage of the opportunity to purchase tobacco for transport back to their home countries.
However, through the analysis and scrutiny of hundreds of flights and individuals, operatives were able to uncover and identify a well-coordinated and hierarchical group engaged in the ongoing offence of tobacco smuggling and subsequent money laundering, the latter being executed in both the UK and Romania.
Subsequently, in December 2023, a coordination meeting took place between the Fiscal and Border Investigation and Analysis Unit of the Civil Guard Section in Tenerife South (UDAIFF), EUROPOL, and British authorities, sharing intelligence gathered by the Civil Guard.
Following a protracted investigation, in the operation’s concluding phase, several individuals were apprehended, 138 reports of tobacco smuggling were generated, and six theft cases were resolved.
British authorities conducted three searches in commercial establishments in Luton, Peterborough, and Manchester, with the combined value of the tobacco and products confiscated in both Spain and the UK exceeding one and a half million euros.
The proceeds from the ongoing sale of tobacco over time, which were laundered in both the United Kingdom and Romania, were reinvested into acquiring businesses and properties.
With this operation, the criminal group is regarded as dismantled, evidenced by the observed absence of travel activities and the confiscation of assets belonging to the group members.
The detainees, along with the documentation resulting from the operations, have been forwarded to the Investigative Court of Granadilla de Abona.
