Overview
- The Essen customs investigation office announced seizures from warehouses in Dortmund, Hemer, Lüdenscheid and Sprockhövel with support from a customs observation unit and Cologne special forces.
- The alleged ringleader, a 41-year-old Armenian, was arrested in Dortmund on 16 October and was remanded after appearing before a judge on 17 October.
- Searches uncovered more than 14,000 cans of snus, €30,000 in cash and several luxury watches, including items found at the homes of the 41-year-old and a 47-year-old from Menden.
- Officials link the scheme to a German-Armenian group based in the Sauerland that supplied untaxed cigarettes to buyers across the Ruhr area and beyond.
- At the main Sprockhövel depot, officers secured about 17.7 million cigarettes, with additional stocks found in Dortmund of more than two million and in Hemer of roughly 400,000.