Police make seven arrests in crackdown on tobacco racket
Seven people aged between 28 and 59 were arrested in coordinated raids across Attica on Thursday, in an operation launched by the Economic Police to crack down on an international network smuggling illegal tobacco products into the European Union through a base in Greece.
Authorities seized 570,000 packets of cigarettes, corresponding to over 2 million euros in taxes the state would never see if they hit the black market.
One of the suspects, aged 49, is believed to be the head of the racket, while a 58-year-old is suspected to be his second-in-command. Key to the operation is also the alleged expertise of a 59-year-old woman who owns a transport and delivery firm.
