Overview

• The trial of 19 men accused of running illegal cigarette factories in Velbert and Radevormwald, Germany, began on May 5, 2025, in Düsseldorf.
• Prosecutors allege the operation produced 21 million untaxed cigarettes between May and October 2024, resulting in €4.9 million in lost tobacco taxes.
• Some defendants confessed to being recruited under false pretenses, confined without pay, and unaware of the illegality of their work initially.
• Investigators uncovered advanced machinery capable of producing 2,500 cigarettes per minute, along with counterfeit packaging and concealment methods like dummy loads and camera detectors.
• Authorities continue to search for the masterminds and financiers behind the network, who remain unidentified and at large.