Overview
- A Düsseldorf regional court sentenced four men to prison terms of six years, five years, three years and three months, and two years and ten months, and the verdict is not yet final.
- Judges convicted the group of joining a criminal association and serious tax evasion tied to a Lierenfeld plant that prosecutors say produced about 300 million cigarettes between April 2024 and March 2025.
- A raid in March 2025 found a full production line, roughly 25 million fake brand cigarettes, and about 15 tonnes of tobacco, with the tax loss estimated at more than €54 million.
- The case began with an Italian police alert about a Polish truck carrying 111 boxes of raw tobacco, which led customs investigators to round-the-clock surveillance, phone taps, and email monitoring.
- Earlier, eight short-term helpers received suspended sentences of 22 to 24 months, and investigators say they are still pursuing suspected ringleaders, with one man on the run.