In the case of Ludza’s large -scale illegal cigarette plant encourages the accusation of 25 Ukrainian citizens / day
In December 2024, the Criminal Investigation Services of the State Police and the State Border Guard were detained in a large -scale operation in Ludza and Riga in total 32 persons and discovered an illegal cigarette plant. Criminal proceedings were simultaneously held in several places. The State Police carried out 26 searches in Riga, detecting warehouses with finished products and detained seven persons – six Latvian nationals and one Russian national.
The State Border Guard, on the other hand, carried out eight searches in Ludza, Rezekne and Daugavpils, but it was 25 Ukrainians who dealt with illegal cigarette production at the Ludza plant, asking them for « Marlboro », « Prince », « Prince », Winston and « LM ».
For all detainees, a security measure – detention – was applied.
On March 24, the State Border Guard completed an investigation into criminal proceedings against 25 Ukrainian citizens and sent it to prosecute the South Latgale Prosecutor’s Office.
The Latgale Regional Police Department will conduct a pre -trial investigation into the criminal proceedings against the rest of the organized group.
In the ambitious illegal tobacco, the property has been arrested at € 13 million and seized a renewed luxury retro car park.
The State Police, in cooperation with the State Border Guard last week, arrested 32 persons on suspicion of illegal tobacco production, suspending an international network of organized crime. In Ludza, an illegal cigarette plant with production facilities and raw materials, as well as a total of almost 300 million cigarettes and about 47 tons of chopped tobacco leaves were seized.
If cigarettes came, for example, in the Latvian market, the total loss to the country would be more than EUR 75 million.
The police are known to have been criminals engaged in the production of illegal cigarettes for more than a decade.
According to unofficial information from Latvian Television (LTV), the possible leader of the network, Rezekne businessman Elmārs Laizāns, has also been detained.
