On Tuesday, June 29, in Rēzekne region, as a result of international cooperation, border guards detained four persons engaged in the production of counterfeit cigarettes and seized more than 294,000 cigarettes without excise stamps and about 690 kilograms of fine-cut tobacco leaves.
As a result of criminal investigation and international co-operation on Tuesday in Griškāni Parish, Rēzekne municipality, border guards detained three Moldovan and one Latvian citizen in a farm building, engaged in large-scale production of counterfeit Richman cigarettes and as part of an organized group, and during the search of premises found an illegal cigarettes’ factory with production equipment and raw materials.
Overall, as part of the criminal proceedings, border guards removed 294 597 cigarettes without excise stamps and about 690 kilograms of fine-cut tobacco leaves.
Criminal proceedings have been initiated according to the characteristics of the criminal offense provided for in Section 221, Paragraph three of the Criminal Law (for the illegal manufacture (production) of tobacco products on a large scale and in an organized group).
All four detainees were remanded in custody.