Three tons of counterfeit tobacco confiscated in Kallithea

In Kallithea, an operation was successfully carried out to detect a warehouse of counterfeit tobacco products. Arrests have been made.

According to a report by Stella KPMG, Greek consumers smoked more contraband cigarettes in 2018 than all other Europeans. Of the 43.6 billion illegal cigarettes smoked in the European Union last year, 3.9 billion were in Greece, where 23.6% of cigarettes smoked were smuggled, up 5.6 percentage points from 2017. This means that the level of illicit cigarettes in Greece was almost three times the national average. EU (8.6%).

According to the publication iefimerida.grSDOE Attica, and in particular the auditors of the Narcotics Enforcement Administration, in the context of their duties, after receiving information and a thorough systematic investigation, discovered in Kallithea (Attica) a warehouse that was used as a storage point for contraband tobacco for further processing and sale in the territory Greece.

During an organized operation carried out on February 21, 2022, the following items were found and seized in the warehouse:

1832 kg of loose tobacco, 1121 kg of hookah tobacco.

The products did not have the necessary excise stamps (the so-called taxation of tobacco products). According to law enforcement agencies, 3 people, citizens of Poland, Syria and Greece, were detained on the spot.

The total amount of unpaid duties and taxes is 900,000 euros. The arrested, after considering the case materials, were taken to the competent prosecutor’s office of Athens.

As they write “Russian Athens”in Greece, the “country of heavy smokers”, every 4th cigarette … is smuggled!

Only the facts

According to a report by Stella KPMG, Greek consumers smoked more contraband cigarettes in 2018 than all other Europeans. Of the 43.6 billion illegal cigarettes smoked in the European Union last year, 3.9 billion were in Greece, where 23.6% of cigarettes smoked were smuggled, up 5.6 percentage points from 2017. This means that the level of illicit cigarettes in Greece was almost three times the national average. EU (8.6%).

According to Stella KPMG, presented at a conference on the trade in illicit cigarettes, the desire of consumers to use smuggled tobacco threatens not only their health, but also government revenues: last year, smuggled cigarettes in the form of lost taxes cost the Greek budget 700 million euros, an increase of 40% compared to €500 million in lost revenue in 2017. All in all, smuggled cigarettes in the European Union lead to shortfalls in the state budget of up to 10 billion euros annually.

Stella KPMG also found that about 2.6 billion illegal cigarettes were produced in Greece, of which 1 billion are counterfeit products that are produced and sold illegally. The remaining 1.6 billion are so-called “illegal white” cigarettes, which are produced legally in Greece but are exported to other EU countries without paying taxes and duties to recipients.

PS One cunning figure, trading in contraband tobacco products at the door of one of the universities of Athens, made a profit of up to 3,000 euros per day.

According to Stella KPMG, presented at a conference on the trade in illicit cigarettes, the desire of consumers to use smuggled tobacco threatens not only their health, but also government revenues: last year, smuggled cigarettes in the form of lost taxes cost the Greek budget 700 million euros, an increase of 40% compared to €500 million in lost revenue in 2017. All in all, smuggled cigarettes in the European Union lead to shortfalls in the state budget of up to 10 billion euros annually.

Stella KPMG also found that about 2.6 billion illegal cigarettes were produced in Greece, of which 1 billion are counterfeit products that are produced and sold illegally. The remaining 1.6 billion are so-called “illegal white” cigarettes, which are produced legally in Greece but are exported to other EU countries without paying taxes and duties to recipients.

PS One cunning figure, trading in contraband tobacco products at the door of one of the universities of Athens, made a profit of up to 3,000 euros per day.

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